Shared Life
by Innortal
Summary: With a demon attack, Nabiki and Kasumi are left depending on Ranma to keep them alive. But will the others be able to handle this new situation. The winner of the Ranma Idea Contest, so tell me what you think.
1. Where We Stand Now

**Chapter 1**

**Where We Stand Now**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

I find that if I let thinks sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_So this is what is left now._

_This is the end results of all my scheming, all my plans, and all my wishes._

_All I wanted was for her to be happy, to have the man she desired with every ounce of her being._

_All I wanted was for her to have the only man I felt she truly deserved._

_But now, it is all for naught._

_We had no choice really, if we let them die and he ever discovered that we could have saved them; that we could keep them from the hand of death, he would never have forgiven us._

_We have seen what he could do to those who injured or threatened those he cared about._

_We do not wish to incur that wrath._

_We may have saved our village, our people._

_If they ever find out what we did, normally they would ask for our heads._

_When they learn of the alternative, they may merely ask us to never return._

_Its days like this that make me feel every year this body has endured._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cologne was hoping down the street on her cane towards the Tendo Dojo. She stopped and turned around. Behind her was Shampoo, carrying her former husband in an embrace one would expect for someone crossing the threshold with their new mate, still with no idea how much she had lost that day. Beside her was Mousse, carrying both Nabiki Tendo and Kasumi Tendo in an altered fireman's carry. Both were only a few steps behind her.

And judging from the slight smile on Mousse's face, only he knew what the true implications of that particular forbidden technique were.

Cologne simply shook her head and continued on. It would not do any of them any good should they get spotted by any of Ranma's other fiancées or psychotic rivals, and in his current state, it wouldn't take much less than a intense punch to kill him now, something even that voodoo idiot could pull off, and should he be taken too far from any of the injured Tendo girls,…

Ranma would undoubtedly have another target to kill first before the Amazons, perhaps even before whomever had summoned that demon.

Assuming his life force didn't bleed out like theirs had done.

She began moving forward again, throwing a glance back at the group now making their way forward. Whoever had summoned that demon had specifically told it to kill Ranma. A demon of such caliber would care little else for anyone nearby, as the two Tendo girls found out when the demon attacked them when it had knocked Ranma far enough away, simply judging them by the fact they had been near him enough to attack them.

But to summon a demon whose claws could cut through the field holding one's own life force to their body, there is no mistaking the true intentions of someone who summoned it. Its very name told you it could do that, the very description of what type of demon it was reinforced that notion.

She only hoped that she found out who summoned that creature first before Ranma, so she could properly thank them for ruining Amazon business, for perhaps taking away the very man her great-granddaughter loved. So she turned back around and continued on her way to the dojo, grateful that they had helped save people, grateful that Ranma had proven strong enough to save Nabiki and Kasumi, grateful that she may have redeemed her entire nation in the eyes of the dominant fighter on the planet.

But she was saddened. She knew whoever tried to kill Ranma would try again, and in his current state, only the satisfaction that the summoner had to give up a large portion of their own life force to entice the demon to this world would keep them from trying again, unless they had had help, and hopefully she would find them first, as such a demon would leave a trail even a novice demon hunter could follow. But she also knew that once the effects of this technique were known to Shampoo, or even Ukyo, they would stop at nothing to win Ranma, perhaps even get themselves to the point where he would do the same to save them.

Sometimes, even love made no sense, no matter how many years you lived.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She now stared at the bed. When they had arrived, they were not surprised to see the dojo had been empty. It was their job to know these things, to give Shampoo ample time to try and win Ranma's heart. The fathers were out at some Go tournament and Akane was out with some friends. Only the other two sisters would have been here today, had they not gone with Ranma to get some groceries, though why Nabiki would go with them, even escaped her mind.

But here they were, inside Kasumi's room. While the room was an average size, it was the bed they were interested in, plus the fact that no one of Ranma's enemies or fiancées would think to look for him in here. Nabiki's room was also thought of but the bed was a single while Kasumi had a queen size bed, and she'd be damned before sticking them in Soun Tendo's room, which reeked of cigarettes and sake.

The covers had been pulled down while Ranma was laid in the middle of the bed, followed by the sisters on either side of him. The covers were pulled back up to give them warmth, as even at this time of year, a week before classes would start up again, the nights could still be too cold without them, and diseases were another consideration to take into effect. All three were very near the edge of the abyss, and any little thing could set them falling into it.

"Mousse, unless it is about to rain, I want you to stand out on the roof and look for anyone trying to get inside whom either doesn't live here or wasn't invited. We will be inviting Ukyo over, as she deserves to know how much things have changed, and keep your damn glasses on, we can't afford any mistakes at this point. Shampoo, head over to the Cat Café and make a huge meal to bring over. I do believe the families will want something to eat when we tell them this story. Do bring some sleeping powder though, as I do believe the youngest Tendo will almost certainly forget the fact that the three before us need little help to enter the next world, and her temper may just make her do it. I will wait downstairs for the arrival of the rest of the family, and call Ukyo to have her come over. Now go!"

Shampoo looked like she wanted to ask something, but jumped through the window and hopped off to the Cat Café. Mousse hopped out as well to stand guard. She simply shut the window, drawing the curtains, and began to leave the room, looking over at the three when she heard some movement. The Tendo girls each had rolled towards Ranma, laying on their sides will their heads on his shoulders, a simple hand on his chest. He had then taken his arms and wrapped them around the girls sleeping beside him, a gesture of protection; though neither participant knew they were doing this.

She then watched their auras. She had seen the auras of each before. The blue color best fit Ranma, as it was the color usually associated with confidence. The other two, she had not been able to isolate, as their auras showed many different colors, indicating the wide range of emotions they had to go through on a daily basis. The more she learned about their lives thanks to an irresponsible father, the more she wondered how much of any one emotion those girls experienced on any given day.

But now, the aura covering the three was more of Ranma's than anything else, with only little slivers of those belonging to either of the other two. It made sense after all, as Ranma had only barely managed to finish the forbidden technique before they had died. When they awoke, she would have to explain what would be required of them in any wanted to live.

She would have to do the same for the rest of this weird family, for Ukyo, and sadly for Shampoo.

She closed the door after leaving the room and made her way downstairs to contact Ukyo. Hopefully, no one would do anything stupid. To prevent that, she would even kill one of the Kunos or even Ryoga at this point. It was the least she could do for Ranma.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Akane, Soun, and Genma had arrived for dinner, none were surprised to see a large meal set out before them of Chinese food and Japanese food. What did surprise them was when Ukyo and Shampoo both came out of the kitchen with the last tray of food before anyone could mention anything about the meal.

It took a while for everyone to calm down, accusations being thrown left and right, Soun Tendo demanding to know why his eldest daughter wasn't making dinner, Genma complaining that Ranma wasn't being a man and spending time with his fiancée, though keeping quiet as to which one he was referring to. Akane was demanding to know why the other girls were here as well as what they had done with Ranma, showing little concern and spending the next few minutes calling him a pervert and demanding to know which slut he was with now. Ukyo and Shampoo merely stayed silent, having been told by Cologne that something bad had happened, and she needed them to be pillars for the others.

Ryoga had managed to even show up, wondering what the Tendo Dojo was doing in Singapore. Cologne had hopped over to him and hit several paralysis points, telling him that they had important news he needed to hear first, and not run away in his anger and perhaps cause someone's death. That alone was enough to get the lost boy to shut up and listen, his anger momentarily forgotten because of his fear of what Cologne said would happen should he not maintain his silence.

He did not want to be turned into a pork dish and served to Akane.

Finally everyone was silent, waiting for Cologne to begin speaking.

"To be honest, we had gone after son-in-law today in hopes of creating a greater chance for him to finally admit to loving Shampoo. But we did not expect to see what we saw." She handed out a book with a page marked. The book showed a colored picture of a demon, with a Japanese text describing the demon and what it was capable of. "This is what we found attacking Ranma."

The sounds of deep intakes of breath could be hard by those who read what the demon was capable of, a note to the side indicating a power level much higher than what Kuno or Happosai had even summoned.

"We only caught the end of the battle, so were unable to offer any help or stop what had happened. The demon had punched Ranma away, sending him into a wall. While he was trying to free himself, the demon spotted the Nabiki and Kasumi, and swiped at them with its claws. Physically, these claws can't hurt you, they can only cut what can't be cut, namely the barrier around you that holds all of your life energies in, in effect, and it is what holds your soul. Without the barrier, you would quickly die, your soul bleeding out into the ether." Cologne took a sip of tea before continuing, hating every time she had to tell a story like this one, no matter how happily it may end. "Ranma, seeing the demon attack them, grew enraged and hit the demon so hard with one punch, the demon literally exploded. But the damage had already been done. When we told Ranma what was happening, he asked if there was a way to save them. So we showed him a forbidden technique. When Ranma was told of the dangers of this technique, that he might not be strong enough to save both, he simply said that he would not chose which one was more worth saving over the other. He would save both."

"The technique works on the principle that a person can share their life force, enabling an injured party to live and heal physically. But the damage was so severe; it required Ranma to merge his life force with theirs, in effect, recreating the barrier that holds that energy naturally. But it comes at a high price. The joining of souls, if you will, can cause all parties involved to act and think more like the other. When this technique was used in the past, it often resulted in those involved permanently needing the other, I guess they became soul mates in a way."

She turned to see Shampoo frown; knowing her great-granddaughter now knew the price of using the technique, but now worrying that Shampoo might try and use this technique to be equally close to Ranma. She would have to discuss this with her later, as Ranma was in no shape to take on any extra souls, not now anyway. "The reason this technique was banned was because results, sometimes went too far. Even after they were cured, they still needed to be close, as they would feel intense pain or in some cases die if the distance became too great. Blood relations or even gender did not matter, as sisters became lovers and men who were almost pathologically persistent about their orientation were often found in a lover's embrace. It can become an addiction, even if those involved know to be aware of it."

"So for now, they have to be together, even when they awake, until Ranma's soul has healed theirs enough to let him begin to separate. Any damage right now would kill Ranma, as his body is too weak from the transference to handle any injury, and if he dies, the thing keeping the older Tendo girls alive would also vanish. All three would die before our eyes in a matter of moments, so we dare not disturb them until they wake up, and even then, Ranma has to be careful as his pain is now their pain, and vice versa."

"To put it simply," Cologne said, "he must remain with them until their bodies heal enough spiritually to hold their own life force in. If they end up craving to be near each other to the point of lovers, I cannot say. Right now, those three souls are linked. Ranma's life force is all that is keeping them anchored to this plane, to their bodies. Until he rebuilds his strength, even a light punch could kill him, and without him, your two sisters would die within moments. For the moment, the fiancée war is over; no one is to interact with Ranma in any way that might cause him pain or discomfort."

"That pervert, I bet he is only doing this to get into their pants!" Akane quickly whipped out her trusty mallet. "I'm going to teach that pervert a lesson he'll never forget!"

Shampoo stood before Akane, her hands outstretched, her face a mixture of rage and disgust. This was the woman who Ranma seemed to love the most, who even despite the fact she treated him with nothing but contempt and hatred, called him a pervert and a freak whenever he didn't eat her cooking or refused to fight her at his full strength. Shampoo would be lying if she said she hadn't wanted Akane dead. All of Ranma's other fiancées hated how she treated him, it was often the reason they became so affectionate around him when she was nearby, to prove she would never trust him, never show her true feelings for him, hoping Ranma would realize this and move on. But now, even knowing everything that could happen, Akane still ripped out her hammer and was ready to head upstairs and attack Ranma. Shampoo would not let her, even if she couldn't have Ranma, even if she couldn't be an Amazon if the other Elders found out what they had done, she would not let Akane hurt Ranma anymore. "Shampoo want know why you hate Airen. Him risk own life to save kitchen destroyer's sisters. To say thanks, kitchen destroyer want to kill Airen, knowing it kill sisters also. Is kitchen destroyer so hateful of Ranma, she kill own sisters to get him?"

That had been enough to apparently snap Akane out of her stupor of rage. She dropped the hammer, a resounding thud as it hit the ground before disappearing back to wherever she normally hid it. He face going pale. "I…I…I wasn't really going to…"

"Shampoo know you lie. All you do is hit Ranma, treat bad because you no care if he yours, only care he no one else's. All you do is attack for no reason, but Airen still care for you. You know if Ranma die cause of you, Shampoo kill you, make it slow and painful. Same thing if Shampoo see you near him with mallet. Your temper hurt Ranma too too much. Now you stop being violent kitchen destroyer, stop feeding him your poison, or Shampoo stop you permanently, see you as obstacle for Ranma living, for mercenary girl living, for too too nice girl living. You know what Shampoo do with obstacle."

Akane just fell to her knees, beginning to cry. Apparently Shampoo's comments had hit close to home, or at least, close enough to make her realize that she had nearly killed Ranma and her sisters merely because of her own stupidity.

Even Ryoga; a person who always took Akane's side, no matter how wrong she was, admitted that she had nearly made a costly mistake. He himself was wondering what he might have done upon hearing even part of this story, wondering if he would have attacked Ranma and killed him, as well as the Tendo sisters, had he not been currently paralyzed below the waist.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Soun offered Ukyo Nabiki's room for the night, as she looked in no condition to go back home tonight, but also noting that she wanted to stay and protect Ranma. Ryoga had simply placed himself in a corner, vowing to guard the downstairs from assaults, even though part of him wanted to beat Ranma up, but even Ryoga would not hit an injured man, not when he had someone else's life in his hands.

The Amazons, promising they would return after hunting for whoever was stupid enough to summon the demon, left for their hunt. Even Genma almost felt sorry for whoever they found.

Like all of their days in Nerima, this was turning out to be among those that were often labeled unbelievable.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akane simply sat at the door, watching as her two sisters snuggled close to Ranma, her Ranma.

She would be lying if she said that there wasn't some part of her that wanted to go in there and smash him, call him a pervert, feel justified in protecting her sisters from him. Treat him like the pervert he is.

_**Right now, those three souls are linked. Ranma's life force is all that is keeping them anchored to this plane, to their bodies. Until he rebuilds his strength, even a light punch could kill him, and without him, your two sisters would die within moments.**_

The words of Cologne still rang through her head, constantly mocking her. It had to be a trick. It had to be another one of his perverted attempts to get into a new girl's pants. It had to be some reason for him to do this, as all boys were perverts.

**_When Ranma was told of the dangers of this technique, that he might not be strong enough to save both, he simply said that he would not chose which one was more worth saving over the other. He would save both._**

_That couldn't be the reason. That he actually cares about what happens to us, that he would willingly sacrifice himself to save any one of us._

_**Shampoo want know why you hate Airen. Him risk own life to save kitchen destroyer's sisters. To say thanks, kitchen destroyer want to kill Airen, knowing it kill sisters also. Is kitchen destroyer so hateful of Ranma, she kill own sisters to get him?**_

Akane looked back again at her sisters and her fiancée. Both of them were still snuggling with Ranma, a look of content on their face. Ranma's face still read with no emotion. It didn't even look like he was snoring, something she always remembered him doing whenever she woke him up with a bucket of cold water.

Nothing was making any sense to her anymore. Ranma was supposed to be a pervert, like all boys. They only wanted one thing.

But Ranma had willingly placed himself in mortal danger to save her two sisters, one of which had abused Ranma every which way possible, one who always offered him an ear to listen to his problems, offer little tidbits of advice to help him with those same problems.

_**He would save them both.**_

_**He would not chose which one was more worth saving over the other.**_

Even after all they had put him through; Ranma was still willing to risk anything to save someone. He had risked his life at least a dozen times to save Akane, to save Ukyo, to save Shampoo, even to save his own worthless father. He constantly placed himself in jeopardy to save those he cared about.

And in return, she bashed him, Shampoo used potions on him, his father sold him out at a pin drop, and Ukyo would always try and be the cute fiancée to win him over.

She turned away, closing the door and heading to her own room.

The truth was she had finally figured something out.

That none of them truly deserved Ranma.

Ranma deserved better than anyone here, with perhaps the exception of Kasumi, but only because she never wanted anything from Ranma.

Akane simply cried herself to sleep that night, wondering if she had a chance now to try and become someone that would even be close to being worthy of Ranma's love.

Even though every fiber of her being now said she might not be able to change, even if she tried.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ukyo lay in Nabiki's bed, trying to understand everything that had happened today. Today, she had learned that for the moment, any attempts to gain favor with Ranchan were completely banned. That alone had been enough to pain her, the belief that the man she loved with all her heart was simply too sick to be near them, but healthy enough to be near the two Tendo girls.

_At least it isn't near his uncute fiancée._

At first, like all of the people at the table, with the exception of the Amazons, had thought it was another Amazon trick, though how one would see Shampoo getting Ranma while Nabiki and Kasumi were sleeping with him in the same bed, was currently beyond her.

But then they read a book on demons, saw what they had been told that had attacked Ranma. She had known enough of the demons summoned by Happosai and Kuno to try and defeat Ranma to know such things were real. And with the description of what had attacked Ranma and the two sisters, even she couldn't find fault with them. They had openly admitted that they hoped to catch Ranma alone, that they hoped to give Shampoo an advantage to win Ranma over.

All were thankful that for once, the multiple fiancées fiasco had been a blessing for once. It had allowed Ranma to save them.

But no one knew who had summoned that demon, all they knew was that its main target was Ranma, damned anyone else in its way.

But the Amazons were searching for whoever did summon it. And right now, Ukyo hoped that they found that person and beat them an inch from their life.

Silently, she hoped she would find them and take them another three miles to make certain they went to hell.

But for now, she simply pulled the blanket over her head, tears falling down her face. _Ranchan, please make it through this. No one wants you to die. Please come back to us. If anyone can save them, you can._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryoga sat with his back in the corner of the dining room wall, a small blanket over him. He dare not move, afraid he would get lost and end up finding his way back in time to discover Ranma was dead.

He hated Ranma, but despite what his constant battle cry implied, he didn't want Ranma dead.

Just in severe physical pain for the rest of his life.

But for now, he would have to protect Ranma. Kuno was stupid enough to try and attack Ranma, thinking it was a trick and by defeating the 'foul sorcerer', the Tendo girls would be free to love him. Even Kodachi might show up and try to run away with Ranma, neglecting the fact that if Ranma was too far from the girls, his life force would leak out just as fast as theirs would, killing everyone.

So he sat there, his ears open, listening for any sound. He had heard that the Kunos had all left on some family vacation to Hawaii.

But being Kunos, could anyone say that meant they were actually there?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Amazons had finally managed to locate the place the demon was summoned, noting how ravaged the place looked. "It would appear they set up enough to summon the demon and ran away. There isn't much here to tell us if someone died during the summoning or not." Cologne was a little upset. It had taken them a good portion of the night to find this place, as whoever summoned the demon made certain prying eyes would not see this. Whoever they were dealing with, they were dealing with pros.

"Aiyah, Shampoo find something great-grandmother!"

Cologne hopped over to see what Shampoo had found, taking the picture from her hand. It was a simple color photo with four people in it, two of which she recognized, one of which, a young boy, was circled, with the words "KILL" wrote in Latin. Her battle aura flared, frightening both Mousse and Shampoo, who had not really gotten a good look at the photo.

The young child was Ranma.

_Genma, when you explain this picture, I might just allow to live long enough for your wife to kill you._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	2. Are We Really Who We Think We Are?

**Chapter 2**

**Are We Really Who We Think We Are?**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

None of the thoughts made sense. They were theirs, but not theirs, but yet seemed familiar.

_Please pops, I don't wanna go back into the pit, those cats keep clawing me!_

_That will be 5000 yen for that information._

_Oh my, I hope father is OK._

_Mother, why can't you accept me with my curse?_

_Mama, why did you have to go?_

_Don't worry mama, I'll take care of the family._

_Quit acting like a girl, now toughen up and act like a man damn it!_

_Nobody messes with the Ice Queen of Furnikan High. Now pay up or get bent?_

_Why must Akane be so mean to those boys, they just asked her if she wanted to be Romeo?_

_Damn it, why is Akane always hitting me, I didn't do anything?!_

_I made a bundle today. Too bad little sis is always quick to jump to conclusions. I bet her and Ranma like each other way to much to actually admit it first._

_Oh my, I do wish Akane would be nicer to Ranma. She really should act more proper towards him._

One thought after another bombarded their mind, each one seeming familiar yet alien to them. Finally they began to mix, memories taking on new shapes.

_What, mother is alive, why do I think she's dead?_

_I thought mama died years ago, then where has she been all this time?_

_Mama came back, father will be so happy?_

_Damn panda, always stealing my food and waking me up to fight!_

_Damn Mr. Saotome, all he does is eat, and we never see his paycheck from Dr. Tofu._

_Poor Mr. Saotome. I wonder why he is so rough with his son._

_Damn it, why can't I simply live a normal life?_

_Why am I always alone?_

_Why can't I live outside the family?_

_How can I chose one girl when it dishonors the rest?_

_Why is it every guy goes after Akane or Kasumi? Why can't they see me?_

_Why can't I meet a nice older man?_

_Why can't I be happy?_

_Am I ever happy?_

_I…I…I think I am happy now._

Thoughts began to bubble back and forth. Neither one knowing if it was their thoughts or an alien thought. But the thoughts kept pouring in. First it was from birth, then moved forward. First their was one line, than after about two years worth of memories, another line appeared, followed by another line after another year. Soon the lines flowed together, memories mixing with memories. Three different birthday parties, three different ideas of what had happened during Christmas, three different ideas of what life was like, about who were friends, about who they were.

_I will be the best martial artists in the world._

_I will take care of my family. I will get them the money they need to survive._

_I will take care of my family. I will be the mother my sisters need me to be._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma was the first to wake up, a feeling of peace washing over him, like he was somehow complete. It took his a few minutes to look down, to see the sleeping forms of Nabiki and Kasumi in his arms, part of him thankful they still had their clothes on.

Then the memories of yesterday hit him. He remembered the battle, watching the two get hurt, the technique quickly taught him by Cologne, the risks and effects told him.

The girls seemed to hold him tighter when he thought of the battle. He realized they were responding to the emotions he felt. So he decided to try and concentrate on happier times. He thought of how he felt when he beat Ryoga after Cologne had trained him in the Bakusai Tenketsu, when he defeated Herb and regained his male form, when he defeated Cologne and received the Phoenix Pill.

The girls seemed to smile, loosening their grip on him. _I have to remember to watch what I think. They seem to be responding to what I am feeling. Oh my, I better not think any improper thoughts, but the odds of that happening are one to two._

_Where the hell did those ideas come from!?_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki was trying to wake herself up. It didn't make sense, she always woke up before seven. She had breakfast to prepare and she had to spar with the idiot panda.

_What a minute, don't I always sleep in late?_

_Why am I sparring with pops, it's not like I ain't the best martial artist in the world?_

_But I do need to make breakfast?_

_What a minute, Kasumi makes breakfast, I always sleep in. Ranma always spars with pops._

_Why am I calling him pops?_

Then the memories of the fight came to her mind. She watched as Ranma fought the demon, from two different angles, she watched as Ranma was knocked into the wall, she felt his anger. Then she remembered seeing Cologne, the forbidden technique, the possible side effects.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking directly at Kasumi doing the same thing. Both looked up towards Ranma, who was slowly lowering his eyes to meet theirs.

_Well, this will be interesting._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kasumi slept in a fitful dream. It seemed like everything she had ever seen was being played through her mental eyes. But the images were jumbled, making little sense.

_She is mama, but not mother. _

_I need to get up. I need to prepare the bathroom, make breakfast, spar with pops, balance my books, avoid talking to Akane since she is always angry at me in the morning, fix the lunches, go to school, beat up Kuno, collect the bets, do the laundry…_

_Oh my, I do seem to have a busy day planned. I'll have to take out pops in a hurry._

_Wait a minute, why am I fighting pops again? And school doesn't again for another week._

Then the memories of the fight came to her mind. She watched as Ranma fought the demon, from two different angles, she watched as Ranma was knocked into the wall, she felt his anger. Then she remembered seeing Cologne, the forbidden technique, the possible side effects.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking directly at Nabiki doing the same thing. Both looked up towards Ranma, who was slowly lowering his eyes to meet theirs.

_Oh my!?_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma looked away from the two to stare at the clock on the night stand.

"Its 5:12 am," said Kasumi, her back to the clock, but knowing what Ranma had read off it.

"Do we really have to get up?" asked Nabiki

"I think after yesterday, we are allowed to sleep in late. I'm sure they can handle breakfast without us," said Ranma.

All three tightened their grips on the others.

_I don't feel alone anymore._

_I don't feel threatened anymore._

_I feel complete._

_I don't want to move from this spot._

_I feel so warm, so at peace._

_For the moment, I am happy._

All three closed their eyes, drawing the others closer together. Each one knew what had happened, knew that their minds were acting as one, that any new thought was both theirs and someone else's. Both knew that they may just be feeling the effects of the forbidden technique that an addiction may grow since together, they saw themselves as whole.

But for the moment, those things were of little importance.

The only thing that mattered right now was the warm feeling enveloping them, the sense of inner peace that each had sought, but only now finally attained.

So they drifted back off to sleep, not worrying about what the sunrise would bring, only that they were together, that they were content.

That they were alive and they were happy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breakfast had been a somber affair.

The food served was only what had been failed to be eaten last night, reheated to be served, a silent prayer was thought by all that the trio upstairs would awaken soon, as they doubted lunch would be enjoyable at all without them.

Mousse and Shampoo sat on either side of Genma, their faces showing how little they had slept last night, returning after two in the morning. Across from him, Cologne sat, eyeing him and slowly eating her meal, staring at him as if she might leap across the table and strike him down, him not knowing that that was actually what she was thinking. Soun and Akane just sat on the sides of the table, both eating and both glancing occasionally to the stairs, hoping to see them come down. Ukyo sat beside Cologne, simply picking at her food, her face showing her fitful lack of sleep and betraying how much she had cried last night. Ryoga was beside Akane, but his mind was more on his food and the weird dreams he had last night than the fact that he was sitting next to a girl who always flustered him.

Finally the meal was finished and the table cleared by Mousse and Shampoo, both who came back quickly and stood beside Genma, who was still sitting down waiting for Soun to finish his paper so they could begin their usual morning game of Go.

Shampoo stood off to his left, her bonbori in her hand. Mousse stood off to his right, a spiked mace in his hand. Genma looked at the two and then towards Cologne. "Um, is there something you wish to talk to me about?"

Cologne smiled an evil smile; it even brought Ukyo, Akane, Ryoga, and Soun out of their stupors. "I am going to ask you some questions about some information that turned up in my investigation of who summoned the demon. If you lie to me once, Shampoo will hit you. If you lie to me twice, Mousse will hit you. And I assure you, Shampoo's hit will feel much worse than the spiked mace Mousse has. If you try to run away or change into a panda, I will hit your Cat's Tongue Pressure Point and sell you to the local zoo, after I have sent some friends an aphrodisiac made of crushed panda penis. Do you understand?"

Genma only gulped, realizing how much trouble he was in, with no way out. Even the four who were not participating in this inquisition were now staring at him, each one wondering what he had gotten Ranma into this time.

Cologne laid out the picture before Ukyo. "Ukyo, you remember what Ranma looked like when you met him at the age of six. Does he look older than that in this picture?"

She looked at it for a moment. "Yep, He's still cute as a button, but older than what he was when I first met him."

Cologne then slid the picture over to Genma. "Who are the other two in this picture besides yourself and Ranma?"

Genma stared at the picture, placing his hand on his chin. "Sorry, never met them before in my life."

"Shampoo, if you could."

"OW!" Genma began to rub his head, looking quickly over to Shampoo whom was staring at him, bonbori at her side.

"Let me ask again, and remember what you'll be hit with if you lie. Who are the people next to you and Ranma?"

Genma let out a deep breath. "Now I remember; they were some friends we met on the road while me and the boy were training."

Cologne was almost afraid to ask, but knew what he meant. "Let me guess, you engaged that white haired girl to Ranma and disappeared shortly afterwards."

"Well…"

Before he could finish, Ukyo had already hopped over the table, bringing her battle spatula onto Genma's head. She finally sat back down and looked towards Cologne. "Sorry, I just needed to do that."

"Quite all right young one, nothing important was harmed." She turned her attention back to Mousse, who was already trying to revive the now unconscious Genma. "I suspect that when he tells us the whole story, I believe even Mr. Tendo will have given him a few lashes."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two figures sat in the room, a penthouse in one of the more expensive hotels in the Nerima area, an area of the town not frequented by roving martial artists who tended to destroy buildings.

An old man, his beard down below his chin was sleeping on the bed, a young woman with silver hair placing a fresh wash cloth over his forehead.

"Daughter, are you here?"

"Yes father, we returned after you summoned the demon. From what reports I have heard, our target survived and killed it with one punch. When will we try again?"

The old man groaned a little. They had spent months preparing that spell, and the target simply destroyed it with one attack. He closed his eyes again, throwing out his senses. His mind's eye launched towards the remains of the target's aura. He saw him in a bed, two girls beside him, and his aura completely covering them. _The damn demon must have wasted time and attacked those two. It appears he is trying to heal them. I'll have to remember this._

His sight flew out again, and saw an unconscious Genma, after receiving the attack of some girl with a giant metal spatula. _I guess the stories about this town were true. There really are weird martial artists here. I mean, who attacks with an oversized kitchen utensil._

_Not that I feel one moments of pity for the target. At least he lives to see the fruits of his labors._

He pulled his site out again, looking at the sign at the entrance to the house, before opening his eyes again.

"Kito, I need you to go to the Tendo Dojo and observe the target. He is currently healing two women who must have stood between him and the demon. Do not attack him, not yet anyway. Our honor was insulted together, so shall it be avenged. I want you to sample the boy's spirit and return with what you learn from it. We will need to know his capabilities before we try again. Be careful, they may be wise to us, and I am uncertain if they may detect your presence if you are close, so use your gifts and sparingly and approach on foot. Do not be seen and do not engage them. Is that understood?"

"Yes father, I understand."

"Good, now go and let your father sleep. I must rest and regain my strength."

While he returned to sleep, Kito placed her black robe on and went to the window, preparing to float towards the Tendo Dojo, her mind filled with rage. First this child betrays her and her father's trust, and then has the audacity to shack up with not one, but two women. "He will pay for betraying us father. I will wait until we are ready. But he will assuredly pay for what he has cost us."

She jumped from the window, floating towards the target's location. "Ranma Saotome, for betraying the oath we took, I shall see you dead by my own hands before this battle is through."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	3. Shattered Lines

**Chapter 3**

**Shattered Lines**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you promise me Ranma?" A little girl with bright white hair held onto the arm of a little boy with black hair, held with a pigtail.

"Of course I promise ya Kito. Ranma Saotome always keeps his promises."

"You won't forget me would you?"

"Nah, how could I forget a girl like you Kito? I mean, ya beat me every time we spar. It ain't likely I'll believe pops again when he says girls are weak."

The white haired girl began to giggle. She was glad to have Ranma as a friend, someone who wasn't afraid of the stuff that her family was into. If what she heard her father talking about was true, Ranma may end up engaged to her, which was fine for her. This boy showed so much promise, such a pure heart, part of her couldn't help but fall for him.

But it was his father she didn't trust, and her father as well knew of the dangers of trusting this Genma Saotome. For their family, information on any subject could be easily obtained. What they had found out about Genma had made her very nervous, but for some reason, seemed to please her father.

_If daddy is happy with this Genma, maybe I shouldn't ask if we can just get Ranma to stay and send that ugly man to some demon dimension. It's not like anyone will miss him, save the people he cheated._

She looked once again to her friend, noticing how he had leaned back onto the ground, watching the stars now that the sun had gone down. _I mean, he never even told his son that Ukyo was a girl._

She laughed a little when she remembered how shocked Ranma was to learn that Kito herself was a girl. She remembered what Ranma had told her his dad had said about the difference between men and women.

'_Women grow here and men grow there.' _He of course was pointing at his chest for the first part and his groin for the second part.

Needless to say, her and her father had had quite a laugh about that one in private, and had even taken Ranma aside while Genma was getting drunk, explaining the difference. When Ranma had learned that Kito had beaten him, and was a girl, it was a shock to his system.

"_Remember Ranma_," her father had said, "_girls can be just as strong as boys. They just do it differently. Your father was wrong about that. If he ever says that again, ask him about a woman named Nodoka and her family honor blade_."

Kito leaned back into the grass as well, snuggling up against Ranma, looking at the stars. The future was theirs, and nothing could stop them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genma was pulling Ranma along, after leaving the Okari compound. He had hoped to make Ranma stronger there, but that weird white haired girl was not only beating his son, but becoming a danger with the agreement he made with his old buddy Soun.

Not that he minded the warm meals, the hot baths and beds, as well as the great assortment of saké that his host had available. Nor did he mind the techniques the boy had made up when he faced the small demons the young girl could conjure.

But the magic would be distracting the boy from his art. That girl would make him weak, just like that Kuonji girl.

They had even told the boy the difference between boys and girls, and made him think that women were good fighters.

He couldn't have that. That would only serve to distract the boy from the art and Genma's plans for his future.

Taking out a book from his backpack that he had 'borrowed' from the Okari's library, he looked at the title.

**Unbeatable Martial Art Techniques**

Opening up the book to the first chapter, he smiled. _Maybe teaching the boy the Nekoken would make him forget those crazy thoughts the Okari told him._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kito crouched on a rooftop across from the Tendo compound. From the far right edge of the roof, she could barely make out the group down in the dining area, still trying to revive that worthless bag of skin Genma Saotome, the man who had single-handedly destroyed her future and that of her father. She had no false disillusions like some people that little Ranma had been responsible in any part for their disappearance from the compound that night. All one needed to do was look at the light traces of blood on Ranma's futon that night to know Genma had hit the child in the head to keep him quiet, from screaming about him being dragged from yet another friend.

Genma had taken Ranma that night, as well as ¥400,000, some rare books, and some other valuables that they had retrieved from several pawn shops the next few weeks.

But Ranma, Ranma had pretended to be a person of high honor, promising to return and help her complete her destiny.

But he had never shown.

Now, her destiny was forever lost to her.

The power her father and she were once meant to have forever beyond their reach for another several hundred years.

All because she had made the mistake of believing that child had a pure soul.

Before she moved to the left side of the roof, she spotted a boy with a single fang appearing in his mouth. She stared for a moment, smiling. "Good, that spell is still active. I wonder if the asshole even remembers calling me a freaky little spook. Not that it matters. I wonder if he even can find his own shoes in the morning."

Smiling, and feeling a little bit better that some of her past "efforts" had not been detected or defeated, she moved to the left of the roof, allowing her to see the curtained windows of the room that her enemy was in. Cautiously creating a small clear bubble; as it would do no good for her to get caught at this point, she released it. Closing her eyes, she saw through what it saw, glad she had been able to see as if they were her own eyes, rather than a warped reflection one could get from the bubble. She watched and commanded it as it went through the window, the curtains, to appear in the room.

To say the image did not remove her former smile would have been an understatement.

She felt absolute fury at seeing those two girls hugging her former fiancée, let alone in a bed with him. _Those vile, ignorant, inept, sluts! How could they steal him like that? A pure soul my ass! He was probably banging those two whores before they even got hurt. No wonder he didn't come back!_

She took a couple of deep breathes, struggling to maintain her control to prevent her detection. Opening her eyes once again, she concentrated until she could see the auras of those three.

She gasped as she saw the strength in Ranma's. Even in a state where his aura should have been weakened, barely keeping itself from being drawn into the void, it had powered itself up to levels that made her cringe; recalling how the information she had uncovered about his fight with the demon had indicated its death. _In a small way, I am proud I chose one with such skill and talent._

_Too bad the fucker betrayed me._

_Now he'll have to die._

_But first, I have a mission to complete._

The orb moved forward, touching the aura at a spot to receive only Ranma's knowledge, his experience. It would do them no good to have any of the girls' experiences, though a small part of her wondered if her new enemy had at least treated those women with respect both inside and outside the bedroom.

But such things could wait until later. As the orb, now the blue color of Ranma's aura, returned to her, she prepared to float off towards her apartment, when curiosity got the better of her. She brought the orb to her mind's eye, concentrating on the memories of her time with Ranma. She wanted to know why he had betrayed her.

She nearly screamed when a wave of fear and darkness descended on her, being stopped only by her training. As she struggled once again to get her emotions under control, she began to feel confusion slipping in. _What the hell was that?! That never happened while I was with him!_

She decided this time to skip that barrier, trying to limit its appearance. She used her technique again, this time starting from the moment Ranma left that Ukyo girl. She watched as the memory of a few days afterwards entered her mind, but then the memories began to grow darker, as if the light illuminating them was being drained. Sensing the barrier again, she pushed beyond it, trying to find a memory not tainted by the darkness.

When it appeared, she noticed that Ranma appeared to be older than when he left her, constantly gazing around, as if something was going to jump out after him.

She removed the orb from her temple, trying to understand what she had seen. Whatever that barrier was, it was obscuring all of the memories of her, and since this orb was in fact an accurate reflection of what Ranma's mind now was; it made sense that his memories would also be blocked.

Floating off towards her father, she began to wonder what darkness could do this, as well as knowing that it was somehow Genma's fault.

_It appears I was right though. I should have disobeyed father and killed that swine when I had the chance. A few dozen necro-imps and my problems would have been solved._

_But I guess even if father still wishes him dead, I do hope I can play around with him._

An evil smile crossed her lips as she gained altitude. Oh yes, she would enjoy the slow death of Genma Saotome. Of that much, she was certain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three souls once again woke up, Ranma glancing at the clock to look at the time.

"_9:34 am"_

All three knew the time now, their minds still throwing every new detail together, still not allowing any semblance of a personal thought.

Each one felt warm in the bed.

Each one felt comforted by the others being there.

Each one felt that this was as close to a perfect moment as they had been in a while.

None of them felt lonely.

None of them felt unloved.

None of them felt sorrow, felt anguish, felt as though their life was out of their hands.

But each knew that this wasn't real.

Each knew that this bond wasn't real.

Each knew that this feeling was fake as well, that this completeness was a pale trick of the process to save them.

Each drew closer to the others, trying to force those thoughts away. It wasn't the fact that they didn't know of what was happening; Ranma's memories of what little Cologne had had the time to tell him had explained some, but not all.

They would need her to explain the rest.

They would need her to come here, as none was ready to meet the others yet.

"You should do it Ranma; they'll stay down there if you tell them to." Nabiki loosened her grip, hoping that he would take her hint, knowing he would fight back when her own fears began creeping up.

"Are you kidding? The moment he goes asking for the old ghoul, you just know everyone downstairs will be popping up here, demanding to know what is going on!" Kasumi brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my, I didn't mean to be so rude."

Ranma simply sighed, trying to sit up and move off the bed towards the door. He wasn't surprised to see the girls follow his path, let alone reach for the door at the same time. The two looked at him, blushing, before nodding for him to continue.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genma had just been returned to the waking world, when the call came from the second floor. "Um, excuse me, but could Elder Khu Lon please come up to Kasumi's room. We have important business to discuss, and if anyone else besides the old ghoul comes up here, I'll personally do something very mean, leave you penniless, and break your bones! Oh my, I didn't mean to be so rude again."

The others could only stare at the stairs.

Shampoo and Mousse kept their eyes on Genma, now securely tied to ensure he wouldn't escape until he revealed the information on the newest fiancée to enter the fray.

Soun was crying his river of tears, proclaiming how proud he was that his daughters were still alive.

Ukyo sat at the side, noticing that Ranma's request sounded like a mixture of himself (old ghoul, break bones), Nabiki (business, penniless), and Kasumi (something very mean, Elder Khu Lon). She was beginning to worry if her Ranchan was even still in there anymore.

Akane was caught between states. Part of her wanted to go upstairs and pound Ranma for a myriad of reasons, but was stopped with the voice in her head from Shampoo, asking her if she hated Ranma so much that she would attack him, knowing that doing so could and would lead to her sisters' death. She was happy that all three were awake, but not certain what all three meant anymore. If she had any indication from the way Ranma had just acted, she could very well imagine Kasumi calling her an uncute tomboy and Nabiki saying Akane was built like a brick and twice as thick.

Cologne took it all in stride. "I am going up there to better inform them of what must happen now, as well as what little we know." She turned towards Genma. "Shampoo, Mousse, if he tries to flee or makes any attempt to distance himself from this problem, you have my permission to begin removing his legs. Mousse, I trust you still have that blowtorch to cauterize the wounds?"

Genma turned towards the Master of Hidden Weapons, as he stealth-fully removed the gas tanks and lit the torch.

If he had the fluids, the part time panda would have pissed himself at the sight of the smile on the male Amazon's face.

Cologne, now smiling at the pure sight of fear on Genma's face, began to make her way upstairs. She had just ensured that when she returned, Genma would spill everything he knew about these people and their connection to Ranma. _Whoever they are, they know enough of how to summon such a powerful demon without a human sacrifice, as well as to communicate their desires to it without being around. They knew that that particular demon tended to kill the messenger._

_So that can only mean one thing: the fool panda pissed of a powerful clan of demonic summoners and engaged his son to one of their children._

_Perhaps it was a bad idea to even come back for son-in-law._

_But then again, I haven't had so much fun in over one hundred and forty years._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kito once again entered her father's room, the blue orb still in her hands. Noticing he still appeared to be sleeping, she turned to leave.

"Don't go child, my eyes may be closed, but I am simply resting." He turned to face his daughter, his only pride and joy, and say the look of confusion on her face. "You looked into the orb, didn't you child?" She shook her head, confirming it. "What has you so troubled then my child?"

"Father, I think there are other forces against us, which may have led Ranma to betray us."

Her father's eyes were now wide. While it was no secret some demonic summoners tended to "corrupt" the spells of others to "thin out the bloodlines", to do what had occurred to his daughter was beyond any wisdom for any summoner to be such. Even revenge would not seem worthy to deny his daughter her destiny. But if one was stupid enough to do this…

"What proof do you have of this child?"

She held the orb out to him. _I can't believe I am actually trying to defend the fucker for this. But if he is innocent… _"Father, when I tried to see Ranma's memories of me, they were blocked by something very powerful, full of fear and horror. From what I can tell, Ranma Saotome has no memories of meeting the Okari clan."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	4. New Defaults on Life

**Chapter 4**

**New Defaults on Life**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

"So, children, what would you like to know?" She had come to the room to see all three sitting on the bed, facing the lone chair Kasumi kept in her room…now their room. It was no surprise that Ranma was still in the middle of the two, or that both were holding him with their arms wrapped around him, their heads against his chest.

"First off, why are they holding me like this?" Ranma tried to sound annoyed at the situation, but it failed to come through his voice.

"They are like that because of the Soul Bonding. Since the barriers to keep their souls inside their bodies are still weak, they seek the support that is now being offered by your body. As a result, they are unconsciously seeking to be closer to you. You will find that each of you is drawn to the others now, both for support and for life. The distance you'll be able to allow between yourselves will increase as time goes on. Soon, you may even be able to stand being more than three meters from each other. But for now, the closer you are, the faster your souls will heal."

Nabiki looked towards Cologne. It showed on her face that she was trying to use her own thoughts for what she wanted to ask, not wanting to sound like Ranma had when he called for Cologne. "Exactly what do you mean 'for life'?"

"I mean that, right now, Ranma's barrier is supporting yours and Kasumi's. To that effect, distance will weaken the support it can give you. In time, it will not matter, as your own barriers will heal enough for the energy you need from Ranma to shrink. But for now, the distance of even more than a few meters might cause you to pass out and die. Now, while Ranma may survive if one of you should pass on, he will not survive both, as the link will drag his soul to the next world following the last of you." Cologne made certain each person could see her eyes, to convey how serious she was. "Ranma can not be apart from you right now, or all three of you will die. It doesn't matter how odd or personal the situation is. The Soul Bond doesn't care if you get embarrassed that he now has to bathe with you or be with you when you go to the bathroom. It doesn't care if you need to go across town to three different places. It doesn't care if you are uncomfortable with someone holding you or even if you despise the person next to you. The only thing it cares about is maintaining the link between your souls until all three are healed.

"This technique used to take months to recover from, but since you all awoke this afternoon, it would suggest that Ranma's strength is allowing the healing process to race along. You two may even be able to go to school next week, but do not be surprised if you do miss a few days."

The reactions were mixed.

"Bathroom! Oh my, that isn't proper."

"Bathe with them! I ain't a pervert!"

"School! Like Kuno-baby would let him in the classroom."

It wasn't who was supposed to be saying these things. Nabiki made the bathroom comment. Kasumi had said the comment about bathing, and Ranma had finished it off about the school, trying to hold down what contents he had left in his stomach after saying the phrase 'Kuno-baby'.

Cologne allowed herself to laugh. "Of course. All of you stink right now worse than a Musk male in mating season. I would suggest a bath after this. I do believe your furo is large enough for all three of you. Just remember to get your bathing supplies together. I would hate for you all to drop dead for such a stupid reason. And eventually, even you Ranma will have to go to the bathroom."

All three got extremely red-faced with embarrassment. Kasumi tried to compose herself and get more information, but it was hard with the embarrassed thoughts and dreams going through the younger children's heads. "Elder, what else results from this technique? I recall from Ranma's memories that you said it was forbidden."

Cologne lowered her head, knowing that none of them were going to like this, with the exception, perhaps, of Kasumi who had, in her opinion, always seemed a little off about the good doctor leaving town. "The Soul Bond often results in changes in how those affected perceived each other. The attachment—even after the souls are fully healed—was often permanent. In effect, those that survived became emotionally and physically dependent on each other, almost like those drugs certain thugs peddle. When you are healed, distance won't be a concern, but separation for long periods will be. For all intents and purposes, those who became joined in this way have to spend the rest of their lives together, married if you will."

"WHAT?"

She was surprised they had responded so vehemently and in perfect unison. "You each now know more about each other than most married couples learn in a lifetime. You have seen events through their eyes, with all feelings attached at a level that would make one believe it had really happened to you. You have combed through thoughts that even a trained psychic could never find. Tell me: does what you are doing now, did waking up in bed this morning, did any of that feel wrong to you in the slightest, or did it feel like you were doing the right thing?"

None of them answered. Each one was trying to figure out if anything they had felt was weird or like it was wrong. But they each had to admit that they felt no guilt, nothing wrong with waking up in each other's arms. Nothing felt off about how they were holding each other now. All of them admitted that it felt right; it felt good that they were now the way they were. They were no longer alone, no longer feeling like they were destined to be without the happiness found in love.

_Love? Is this really love, or is this just the technique trying to keep us together?_

"Cologne, are you certain about this? It ain't fair if Nabiki and Kasumi gotta spend the rest of their lives with me. They deserve to find happiness with someone better than me." Ranma forced that out. He never wanted them to hate him if they were forced, and he wanted them to find love with someone normal, not a chaos magnet with a…curse. "Shit, what about my curse? What'll that do to them?"

Cologne sighed. "This is not the first time the technique was used where there was a Jusenkyo curse involved. Your curse will not affect them, though they will have the same numb feeling that you have when you shift forms. We learned of that, and believe me, they were glad that one of them remained human. Though I understand that lady did enjoy that her new husband turned into a horse. Nothing perverted occurred, mind you, they were rumored to spend many afternoons just galloping around the countryside.

"To your other question, you are all now bonded in a way not even true soul mates can attain. Ranma, Nabiki, Kasumi, for all purposes, you are now together…from here to eternity. Whether you believe the love that the link forges is false or not, it will not change. Separation will cause each of you to feel the pain, and all it takes is one of you to be happy for the others to feel that as well. Face it, you two girls just won the fiancée wars. You are now with Ranma, and I assure you, he will make you happy." She flashed a smile of knowing, having heard certain things from Shampoo.

It got the desired effect: the three immediately flushed red though Ranma still looked somewhat confused at the hidden meaning in the comment.

Cologne made her way to the door before stopping, turning around to face the 'newlyweds'. "I would suggest going together to get your bathing supplies together and taking a bath. It will allow you to talk about things now and experience what the resulting numbness of the curse is like.

"By the way, Ranma, do you remember a girl with white hair named Kito? You would have met her shortly after you left Ukyo."

Ranma turned towards her, ignoring the comment about bathing. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of being nude in front of the two girls, let alone them being nude in front of him. Even though he had lived through their memories, and they had seen themselves nude, it still did not alleviate his feeling that it was improper. "Uh, not really. That whole time frame is kinda a blur thanks to that damn Cat Fist training."

Cologne watched all three shiver slightly at the mention of the training, and the momentary memory flashes that accompanied it. _I will have to see if Xian Pu can help them over it. I wouldn't want to take the chance that their cat-sides might try and separate. Though it is more likely they would try and mate with the connection as it is._ "Very well, I shall pursue the matter further with your father. For now, get cleaned up."

She left the room, silently laughing at the fact that Ranma would now have to bathe with the two attractive ladies, but saddened that Genma was still her only source of information.

_I'll just have to be certain he tells the truth.

* * *

_

Kenosuke began to look at the bubble that contained all the memories and essence of Ranma Saotome, the boy who should have helped his daughter. While he was not as rested as he had hoped, what he learned of from the orb had proven quite illuminating. While it was true he wished Genma to die—as well as a few other miscellaneous tortures for what he had seen him do to his son—he was finding it harder and harder to blame Ranma. He had seen the boy grow mentally from the rube his father had been when they had arrived on his doorstep. He remembered how Ranma had taken to weapons—a fact which had made his father quite angry—when he himself had explained to Ranma that certain creatures out there could not be fought with even a gloved fist; since without a weapon, any touch would result in their own life force being drawn into the creature.

The child had shown many signs of becoming a true man, a person of honor and integrity that none could surpass.

But for some reason, the child after the barrier seemed to have reverted back to his old ways of thinking. _Could whatever had happened have been so bad that even the growth of that time was lost to him? Could that event that caused the block have been so horrible that everything before and after needed to be suppressed?_

His searches for such events rearing themselves in the child's future thoughts had revealed only one thing: an intense fear of cats.

Kenosuke tried to recall exactly what event could have triggered this, believing it had something to do with the missing tomes that Genma had stolen. He had written off those books as either thrown in the trash or burned in a camp fire. They had been easy enough to replace as they were all copies. The originals were kept in a family vault and had been easily copied through magic.

But now he sat before a laptop, a search running on books and things in his library that Genma had taken that might cause an intense fear of cats. He hoped that learning of this might explain the block, and give him the power to perhaps break through it.

_I have been a fool. I sent a demon after an apparently innocent boy and allowed two others to be caught in this battle._

_Have I really allowed my own personal vendetta to go so far?_

He shook his head, casting another glance at the screen before wandering back into his thoughts. Even if Genma had tried to back out of their agreement, he thought for certain that Ranma would have tried to maintain it. The boy had shown a greater amount of honor than he father ever had. If he had ignored it, if he had proven as bad as his father, then Kenosuke had felt justified in using such a demon against them, believing it would have served them right for what they had cost his daughter.

But should the child have no recollection of the promise, should the child have suffered something to make him forget—and judging by the child's memories, create a plethora of holes in his memories—then he had become as guilty as Genma Saotome, ignoring the consequences of his actions.

But he had a chance. He knew he would make certain Genma would pay. Right now, he could think of several Hell-type dimensions where the demons would keep Genma alive almost indefinitely, torturing him while keeping him alive to feed them with his fears, his screams.

The beeping of the computer brought him back from the delicious thoughts of what to do to Genma.

But what he saw on the screen nearly made him physically ill. _No, please let it not be this!_

The screen merely said the section name from a book of unbeatable techniques: The Nekoken.

His normally analytical mind kicked in. The good news was that if this was what had created the block, then it was still possible that Kito could complete her destiny.

The bad news was that, in the process, Ranma might very well lose his soul.

So much for redemption.

* * *

While they had gotten their bathing supplies together, as well as a change of clothes for afterwards, it was still a tense situation. As much as Ranma flaunted his female form, he wasn't all that comfortable seeing either of the Tendo girls naked.

It was similar for Kasumi, who, while having had baths with her sisters when they were younger, felt uncomfortable doing it as adults, and with Ranma, felt it improper and scandalous.

Nabiki was the least nervous of the three, knowing for certain that she had a great body. And like Ranma with his female form, she had no problem flaunting it when she wanted to. But even she was forced to admit some uncertainty about bathing with the Chaos Magnet and the Angel of Nerima.

Of course, with their minds linked, these feelings just built up on one another. They stood for several moments in the changing room, eyes closed and trying to decide how to undress and wash without exposing themselves to each other.

"Screw it!" Nabiki opened her eyes and began undressing. "Just remember we've seen each other's memories. We know what we look like naked, and this is no different." A small mischievous smile spread on her face. "Besides, it isn't like we're just going to jump into a full blown orgy here."

The comment did what it was meant to. The other two people opened both their eyes and mouths as wide as they could and looked at Nabiki, before snapping them closed. "It was an accident, I didn't do anything wrong."

Nabiki began to laugh, trying to push away the ingrained fear that was coming from Ranma and had caused Kasumi to duplicate his actions. "Ranma, none of us are Akane. We aren't going to hit you for seeing us naked. Besides, you better get used to it lover-boy, considering you're stuck with us until you drop dead."

She laughed again as Ranma opened his eyes to try and rebut her statement, only to catch her playfully stretching to show off her assets.

After finally disrobing and opening their eyes, they only managed to stare at each other for a few more moments before moving to the wash area. The three stools were moved close together, as Ranma filled a tub with cold water. "Okay, prepare yourselves." When both girls nodded that they were ready, he upended it over himself.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Kasumi.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Nabiki.

Both girls wrapped their arms around themselves, trying to ensure that they hadn't change as well. A complete feeling of numbness spread throughout their bodies. Both girls looked over their bodies, making certain nothing had changed, before turning towards Ranma, who had a worried look on her face.

"Ranma, does it always feel like that?" Kasumi had never had such a feeling before. While it had only lasted less than a second, it still felt like it was bouncing around her nervous system.

"Every time, but it's happened so much, I don't even feel it anymore. Hell, I don't even notice sometimes unless people point it out."

The girls filled up their own buckets and doused themselves.

Soon all three were scrubbing away the dirt from yesterday, staying quiet as they each feared a wrong comment might end up starting things or discussions none were quite ready to have.

_It'll have to be talked about sooner or later. We can't keep quiet about these issues, about these thoughts, about these feelings._

_We need to be open about this, no more hiding behind masks and behind false bravado._

_We need to grow together, or we will fail._

_But for now, let us enjoy that we are not alone._

Upending a second bucket over their heads to wash off the soap, they made their way to the hot waters of the furo. "Guys ready for the change back?"

A small nod was all he got from them.

The three slowly began to settle into the hot water, pausing momentarily for the numb feeling that passed between them as Ranma returned to his male form.

"Ranma, I can honestly say I don't know how you're used to that."

He turned to smile at Nabiki. "Hey, at least it's only a numb feeling. Just wait until the tomboy decides to try and mallet me. Or worse, feed me."

Kasumi looked at him as they settled into the water, her arms going around his chest, reforming the hug they had in the bedroom. "Oh my, Ranma. I don't think Akane will try anything with us like this."

Nabiki could only growl, her mind being hit with Ranma's suppressed anger over Akane's outbursts and her own disappointment towards her sister from Akane's outbursts towards her. Even Kasumi's disappointment of Akane, for having broken her promise not to hit Ranma when he first arrived, found its way into her thoughts. "Right, like she's ever thought first before acting. Face it, Sis, she'll hit us in a second just for us talking to or touching Ranma. She's done it for less. Hell, I'm just as worried Ryoga will forget and attack him as well. Ranma isn't exactly up to one hundred percent."

"Enough of this, guys." Ranma tightened his grip on the girls, drawing them tighter into the group hug as they leaned against the side of the tub. "Forget about what's waiting for us out there. For right now, let's just sit, soak, and relax. I just hope the old ghoul made us something to eat."

They could only laugh and giggle as their three stomachs all growled at the prospect of being fed when their bath was done.

* * *

Cologne stood at the table again, watching as Mousse began to bring the blowtorch closer to Genma's hide. Apparently the fool had tried to make a break for it while she was discussing things with the newly bonded trio. _The idiot, did he believe he could skip out on something this large?_

She shook her head. _My age is catching up with me. I had forgotten this is the man who sold his son so many times. _"Mousse, please back away from him, but feel free to cut off a finger with your dullest blade should he feel inclined to skip out on us again like the lowly coward he is."

Mousse turned to her, showing a sad face. Turning off the torch, he slipped it and the gas tanks into his robe before removing a rusted sword and holding it above the body of the fat martial artist. "As you wish, Elder. Is there a preference of which hand or finger you wish me to begin with?"

Cologne hopped over to Genma. "I haven't thought of any, but I will leave that up to you. But that won't be necessary, will it, Genma?" She smiled as evilly as she could.

She was rewarded by Genma shaking his head at a speed that would have snapped a weaker man's neck. "Good. Now explain who these people are. Remember, there are no more second chances. It is literally do-or-die for you.

"Now, who are these people?"

Genma swallowed his fear, trying to convince himself that Cologne did not make him afraid.

He was doing a poor job at it. "They are Kenosuke and Kito Okari. We met them after we separated from the Kuonji family. They were supposed to be strong fighters, and I wanted the boy to learn from them. All he did was learn from that girl how to fight small imps and summon them. They were nothing but demonic summoners. The only good thing I got from them was the book on how to train the boy in the Nekoken."

"GENMA NO BAKA!"

Cologne raised her staff quickly to block the incoming blow from Akane. "Child, we need him awake to answer our questions. Afterwards, I am certain you, Ukyo, and my great-granddaughter will be more than willing to teach him why his stupidity is his own fault."

Turning back to him, she began again. "Did you promise Ranma to them for anything?"

"Kenosuke wanted Ranma to assist his daughter with some ceremony when she turned sixteen. I sort-of promised to have him there, but we were delayed in China."

Cologne didn't buy it. "You mean you went to China, and either forgot about the promise or just didn't care."

Genma tried to look outraged at his honor being questioned. "How could you believe such a thing?"

Ukyo decided to answer that. "Let's see. You dropped me by the road after promising my father that Ranma would marry me. You taught your son a technique that clearly said it would drive him insane. You took him to Jusenkyo."

Akane rang in. "You sold him for two fish, a bowl of rice, and a pickle. You hide him from his mother because you tricked him into signing a seppuku contract with her. And just now, you tried to run away and leave not only Ranma, but my two sisters behind to deal with the mess you made. Does that prove how honorable you are?"

Shampoo looked at Cologne, confusion on her face. "Great-grandmother, why Airen's mother think stupid panda-man able to raise Airen to be 'man among men'?"

"I don't know, dear. But I do know, after we are done with Genma, we will have to discuss that with her. She cannot be allowed to try and carry out that contract with three lives hanging in the balance."

Genma now looked confused. "Um, who's the third person? I know there's me and the boy—"

Cologne smacked him as painfully as possible on the head with her stick, while making certain he would stay awake and lucid. "You weren't included. I was referring to Ranma and the two Tendo daughters. There isn't a person here that cares if she kills you."

Genma looked to his best friend, hoping for support in escaping this unjust assault on him. Or at the very least, some validation that he was honorable.

The look Soun gave him showed him he would get no support from his former training partner. Turning back towards the others, he began to speak. "It doesn't matter what you think, the boy is responsible for the deal. He agreed to return. Was it my fault he forgot?"

"It may very well be, Genma." Cologne's eyes bore into him. "The boy was able to recall the Hibiki boy with some clues, he even recalled Ukyo when she first arrived by the smell of her food. But he himself has said his recollection of the time after leaving her is fuzzy at best. I believe that is the time you taught him the Nekoken. Tell me again, where did the book with that technique come from?"

He tried to appear to be thinking it over, but was fooling nobody. He finally relented when Mousse's sword came closer to his left hand. "I think the boy took it from their house. Oh, the dishonor of having a thief for a son! What did I do to deserve such a thing to happen to me?"

Cologne smacked him again. She would have continued, but Akane's hammer on his right foot shut him up. Blocking it was unnecessary, as a broken foot would still allow the idiot to talk. "Now, if you are done pretending to be innocent in front of those who know you for the pile of shit you are, maybe you will inform us of the specifics of the agreement you had with the Okari clan. Or should Mousse skip simply removing a simple finger and start with the whole hand? Perhaps the foot injured by Akane's reply to your declaration of innocence was too much pain?"

Genma wisely shut up crying about his foot, ignoring the throbbing coming from it. She had not severely injured it, but he did not feel it was wise to inform them of it for fear Cologne would 'correct' that mistake. "The boy was supposed to participate in some ceremony with that Kito girl. It was supposed to be some great honor, and the father kept rambling on about how they were lucky to find such a soul as the boy.

"Besides, what's the worst that could happen if he missed it? It was just some stupid thing called the Ascension."

Cologne's eyes widened to the farthest they could, before she lashed out and struck a pressure point on Genma's back. As she began removing his bindings, she talked to the others. "If you are wondering why I didn't use that point before, I was cautious in case they attacked again and we needed his help. But now, I don't care." She tossed the fat martial artist into the yard, everyone watching as he landed and stayed in the same sitting position he had been launched from.

She turned towards the girls. "Now understand this: I don't care if you three kill him when you beat him, just know what he has done. The ceremony would have done nothing to Ranma, other than leave him tired for two or three days. But to that girl, missing it cost her more than anything you can imagine, and was a greater dishonor to her than even your code of bushido can understand. Because of this, her family will feel justified in any attack against Ranma and those near him.

"I will not explain what the Ascension ceremony is at this time. But feel free to beat the hell out of him. He won't be able to move for twenty-four hours, so he won't run away from your vengeance. Just know that, because of him, Ranma is now beyond each of your reaches. He is forever bound to both Kasumi and Nabiki in such a way that none of you will ever match the love he feels for them."

She turned towards Genma, a smile on her face but her eyes showing the disgust she had for the man. "Enjoy."

Genma never even got to say "Eek" before the three enraged women fell onto him, weapons raised to deliver their justice. He only had one thought. _This is the boy's fault!

* * *

_

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	5. Ascension

**Chapter 5**

**Ascension**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

_Nine years ago…_

Kenosuke looked at his daughter, watching as she summoned little demons and proceeded to play with them. He had often been amazed at the gentleness his only child had shown with the creatures they summoned. Her progress was astounding, far surpassing the speed any of his line had ever shown.

She was destined to be the best.

She was destined to be the pinnacle of their talent, of their school.

_She takes so much from her mother: her hair, her pale skin, her gentle nature. She reminds me so much of Nagira._

He felt a small pang of pain in his heart. Despite what most people would assume, not all demonic summoners were heartless bastards sacrificing baby seals on an altar drenched in blood.

That is not to say that people like that didn't exist. But those elements were taken care of by their own. This group monitored itself.

But many people incorrectly assumed that if one summoned demons and other like creatures, then one must be evil.

Far from the truth.

In reality, it was just another side of the coin. While it was true that some demons could be very troublesome, and looked for nothing more than creating mischief and strife, the summoners themselves often had no such desires. They viewed the demons as most people viewed animals and other weapons: it wasn't the weapon or animal that was bad, it just depended on how one used them.

His clan used them for protection and occasionally for retribution. Several Yakuza leaders had "mysteriously" disappeared after they tried to take family assets or pressure his clan's friends with protection rackets. Several burglars had found a horrifying end after trying to sneak into their lands. This, in their minds, was a funny thing, despite the casualties incurred. Even the Triads stayed clear of their kind.

Yet there was always some upstart believing they could succeed where others had failed. One such upstart learned it after kidnapping Kito. He was quickly torn apart by several imps while still preparing to make a phone call for ransom.

Their family was safe, nothing could hurt them.

But that still didn't stop Nagira from leaving them, from leaving this life.

For the—

_No, I will not go down that path. I will not lose myself in old pains! My daughter needs me now!_

He forced himself to move beyond the grief. True, it was the one thing that could get to him, but he would not let it be his weakness. He had Kito to think about now.

And her future to think about, as well.

He remembered the words of a seer who came to visit on clan business. The poor old woman nearly had a heart attack when she touched his little girl.

So did he, when he learned what she had seen. His daughter had the greatest potential of anyone this century for being able to pass the Ascension.

The Ascension was what gave their clan such power. It wasn't something that could be passed down, cheated into, or taken. It had to be a special person who underwent a special ceremony.

In short, it was a ceremony that could multiply a summoner's power exponentially. They could go from controlling small demons like his daughter could now—something most clan members spent decades perfecting—to summoning creatures that would make grown men soil themselves in fear, creatures often spoken of with fear and trepidation. If she could call upon these creatures, nothing short of a black hole would snuff out her power…or her life.

From that moment on, all in her line would inherit more power than the predecessors, and be much more likely to have an Ascension of their own. Last millennia, the Ascension had granted their line the ability to summon physical demons without effort. Five hundred years ago, they had gained the ability to summon things larger than imps. The last one—which occurred one hundred and fifteen years ago—had allowed them to summon demons of pure legend; stuff people imagined roaming the Earth on Judgment Day.

Who knew what they new Ascension would grant them.

As such, no one in the clan—let alone from outside of it—would interfere in such a thing. If not for the immediate hope of gaining favor and perhaps kinship with that family, they would do it for the potential future benefits. Imagine, having your line strengthened because your child or descendent fell in mutual love with the line of a person who had passed through the Ascension.

Patience was a virtue their clans had.

And even if his daughter did not pass the Ascension, even if she wasn't granted amplified gifts, she would still be a prize. Just last year, she cursed a boy who willfully ticked her and everyone else off.

The boy—Ryoga Hibiki if he remembered correctly—had been a major bully. The guy—a descendent of an oni—had used his inherited strength to pick on those weaker than himself, claiming that he was the greatest. He even went as far as to attack his daughter, and nearly killed the three imps she had protecting her.

Rather than kill the child and his family for their arrogance, as they saw fit to allow their boy to do such things, she simply cursed them. She made them blind to the obvious, as they had so willingly done beforehand, but to an extreme measure. Never again, until they learned true humility and atoned for their grievous actions, would they be able to walk a path. She had cursed them to be forever wanderers: never able to follow a line, a map; never able to find their way out of a room with one door; and no longer able to stay anchored to this plane. From what he knew of the curse, they could turn a corner in New York City and wind up somewhere in Australia.

He had to give it to her; she had used her mind, instead of her fury, to deal with the boy. The boy, his family, and their line from them onward would be wanderers until they faced their own troubles. He had to wonder how long it would be before they figured that out. He had high hopes for the mother, she seemed more willing to grow up and accept responsibility. Maybe she would tell her son or husband, maybe not. It wasn't for him to decide.

It may sound petty.

It may sound cruel.

But it was what needed to be done. Nobody messed with their family, with their clan. You could no more let off a small offence than you could a large one. The penalties were the same all across the board, only how they were administered differed.

But he had other things to worry about than some pigheaded boy unable to see beyond his own ego.

He had to find a boy for his daughter; he had to find the other half needed for the Ascension.

It would require a pure soul, a soul untainted by the harsh views of reality.

He would find him, for his daughter...for her future.

All the while, Kito Okari played with her imps, bounding around and wrestling with creatures many would fear of slashing them apart.

* * *

"Hi, I'm Ranma. Wanna be friends?"

The girl looked up from the flowers she was holding to see a small boy in a white gi, his hand extended. He had a smile on his face that made her blush slightly, but with no idea why. "Why do you wish to be my friend?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders as well. _He has a point. Plus he seems much nicer than that idiot fanged boy._ "Okay. I'm Kito."

* * *

He watched as the two children sparred against each other, Kito matching him with her own speed and strength gathered from the imps, Ranma's skill keeping him slightly ahead.

He didn't need to wonder where Ranma's old man was. His Wisp had informed him that Genma was currently passed out in a trash pile behind a bar ten kilometers away. _Bastard spends more time worried about his own desires than the needs of his child. I swear I should eliminate him, but I don't have a reason…yet._

He, himself, had taken over the boy's training: teaching him weapons, much to the hatred of Genma. It seemed Genma was foolish enough to believe that weapons of the flesh were the ultimate form of combat. In a way, it was true. If you mastered the weapon of flesh, it was exceedingly difficult for you to be defeated. But if you met someone just as good who had also mastered the weapons of steel and wood, then you were basically screwed.

The father did not want to accept that.

The boy did, especially when shown a creature who's touch was poison, who literally drained the life from you as you punched it.

The child's mind was truly remarkable. Despite the boy's initial ambivalence to learn anything outside of fighting, the child had shown great abilities to learn. He could copy a move after seeing it performed a few times, and counter it within one more use. He was able—when properly motivated with food—to breeze through his studies of science, language, math, and magic. The boy would be a prodigy of all things he could put his mind to.

If only his father would see that.

_Perhaps Genma does see that. It is obvious the fool wishes to use his son. He must sense the boy's potential, and either hates him for being better than himself, or wishes to leave the boy able to be controlled._

_The latter makes the most sense. Genma strikes me as a lazy man, who would rather be taken care of than do anything for himself. The way he tried to manipulate Ranma into doing what he wanted by calling him a weak girl…_

_Well, I hope a few days as a woman himself, going through the worst phase of PMS any woman on Earth has gone through, will teach him better._

The training methods—if they could be called such—that Genma put Ranma through were appalling. Kenosuke barely contained himself from eliminating Genma then and there, but it wasn't their place to kill simply because of desire or convenience. They only did such things to protect themselves. Until Ranma—Great Spirit willing—asked for their help or joined their family, there was nothing they could do but teach the boy and hope for the best.

"Daddy, look!"

Kenosuke turned from his internal musings to watch them. His eyes expanded to their widest at the sight before him. Ranma was laughing …playing with Kito's imps. Such a thing shouldn't be possible. The imps, by the very nature and the commands of the magic to summon them, were extremely protective of Kito. Ranma shouldn't be able to get near them without making them consider him a threat.

But there the boy was, playing with…laughing imps.

_He's the one! He's the other half of the Ascension! He will allow Kito to reach her full potential!_

Incredible joy filled his heart. The only way the imps would respond like that to Ranma was if his soul shared the necessary frequencies with Kito's for the imps to see him as part of the spell.

He had been so worried about finding the boy, and he just…walked right up to them.

_Damn, this means I have to keep Genma around._

Kito wasn't going to be happy about that. The young child had expressed a strong desire—almost as strong as his—to wipe Genma off the face of the world.

But a fool like Genma didn't matter now. He would be made to understand what was going to occur.

And if he interfered, may Kami-sama help him...because no one else ever would.

* * *

_Two days ago…_

"I haven't seen her cry this much since he left. Correction, since Genma took him away."

It was never easy for a father to watch his daughter cry. It tore at his heart for what had happened to her. She had held the steady faith that Ranma would return. After all, the boy had given his word.

He didn't return.

He never even wrote.

Between the two of them, as well as with what clan resources and spells they could use, they tried to find the boy, or determine if he even still lived. But nothing came of it. Whenever they got close to finding out, it was as if something shifted the spell away.

Something was hiding him, protecting him from being found.

They both suspected Genma was doing it, but he lacked the mental skills to think of such a plan. They were content to believe that an outside force was trying to disrupt their will, disrupt the Ascension.

But who, and why, remained a mystery.

Then she saw **him**, on the news from a ward of Tokyo. It seemed he had fought some monster which looked like some weird chimera. It had wings, octopus tentacles, a bull's body, a furry human torso, and other things. They had never before seen such a creature, but could tell magic played a part in it.

It had been Ranma, of that they were certain. So they tracked him down, discovering he was staying at a place called the Tendo Dojo. They learned that, like them, that family had also lost their mother, but had nearly fallen apart. Kenosuke was quite proud that he had continued to live for his daughter, as his wife would have wanted. He had not fallen apart and decided that without Nagira, there was no reason to do anything, like Soun Tendo had.

And they discovered more about the treachery that was Genma Saotome. He had pissed off the Amazons, gotten Ranma a Jusenkyo curse, and engaged him multiple times.

True, he had no such deal with the Okari clan—though Genma certainly stole enough when he ran to equal a dowry. Kito would have liked the idea, and it was certainly true that those who went through the Ascension often did decide to become eternal mates with their partner; it was not something for him to push on her, even if she wanted it at the time.

So they bided their time, waiting for him, trying to contact him.

Spells revealed that their letters were destroyed by Genma, Soun, or a small pervert called Happosai. Phone calls were always blocked, or the ringer shut off. They had even tried to show up once to demand an explanation as to why Ranma and Genma had failed to arrive as promised. Instead, they were constantly unanchored and ended up in another ward all together.

Finally, their rage got to them, and the clan elders demanded payment due for the betrayal.

They had everything set up in a nearby warehouse that had been empty for a few months. By now, Kito was strong enough to teleport them away after their part of the ritual was complete.

Then the demon would rise, and get their vengeance on the Saotomes: Ranma and Genma.

He felt a little bad for doing this. It was almost certainly Genma's fault that Ranma hadn't arrived, no doubt the result of the worthless bastard damaging his son's mind to further his own goals.

But no offense could be forgiven. Justice had to be done. And for the crime of disrupting an Ascension, there was only one judgment.

Ranma Saotome must die.

* * *

_Today..._

Kenosuke stood before a wall-mounted television screen that was showing the faces of three members of the ruling council. Two more were also present via teleconferences. His own video and audio were being transmitted by a wireless microphone and a web cam. "I take it you have gone over my findings."

The one in the middle of the screen, the current council head, nodded in agreement. "It would seem we had only one target, and even failed to get that right. Are we to assume you still wish to forge ahead with plans for the Ascension?"

"Yes." Kenosuke made no movement, no way to betray any possible doubt in his decision.

There couldn't be. This was too important.

The only woman on the council spoke. "What of the women hurt by the demon? Would the boy's soul be affected by his new circumstances? Would it present a risk to the Ascension?"

"No, Chairmen Mao. In fact, all indications show that they may provide a magnification effect to my daughter's Ascension."

One of the teleconference members intruded, represented by the voice bar on the bottom left of the screen. "I myself am still worried about this force that blocked it the first time. I do not have to tell any of the Council the true power of the Nekoken. We can safely assume it will try to stop this next effort as it did the first one."

"I already have my clan looking into blocking spells to eradicate the Nekoken's influence." Kenosuke had spent hours pouring over his library to determine how best to solve that. Even Kito was currently looking at it. "It may have stopped the first attempt, but its presence has also given us a second chance. But I conclude it would be foolish to assume it was solely responsible for the first failure."

"Are you suggesting that another influence is afoot?"

"Yes, Councilman Seto. The Nekoken is merely a low-level demon; too low to do what has been done, even if it managed to fully bond with Ranma's soul. Someone else is interfering with our business. We need to find out whom, and quickly. We estimate only three months remain before the viability of this Ascension will be compromised."

"What of the second, Ranma Saotome? Will he still participate willingly?"

Kenosuke lowered his head. "Does it matter?"

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	6. The Terror

**Chapter 6**

**The Terror**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Soun and Cologne sat on the porch, drinking some tea, casting glances at a bandaged panda, still unconscious and chained to the wall. "Saotome, I can't believe you brought this type of trouble into my house, onto my daughters." Soun was many things, but even his loyalty to his former training partner was no match when told of what the demonic summoners were like. Blood feud did not even describe what these people were capable of.

Cologne merely shook her head, spying Ukyo and Shampoo leaping off to discuss something. Mousse was sleeping in the dojo, with Ryoga watching television, hopefully not getting lost in the channels. "We must forget about that useless fat for now, Soun Tendo. For now, we must concentrate on placating Ranma's mother. She is the one we should concern ourselves with."

"Yes, you are right, Elder." Soun stared into his tea, as if expecting to see the answers to his questions in it. "I wish my dear Kimiko was here. She had such a great rapport with Nodoka. I am certain she could straighten this all out."

Cologne shook her head. "Soun, you must release the past, it will not help you now. Your inability to let her go has allowed you to allow that...thing into your home. You must let her go, and live for them, work for them."

He sighed. "I try, Elder, the Kami know I have tried. But I fear I am too weak a man to do such a thing. Even now, with my children's lives on the line, I cannot for the life of me find a way to convince her that Ranma should live. Even with my daughters' lives at stake, she will see it as honorable for him to still die if she finds his curse too much of a burden."

Cologne stared at the panda, part of her wondering how long before he discovered she had used the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion on him, as well as a shiatsu point that would prevent him from using a ki attack to free himself. "She will be made to see that Ranma's life is too important. She will either relinquish this foolhardy contract by reason, or by force. What fails my mind to discern is how she ever believed Genma could raise Ranma the way she speaks of."

Even Soun had to laugh at that. "Yes. Genma has preached to him so much how others are a distraction to the Art, even I wonder that myself."

Cologne decided to try and lighten the mood. "Tell me about them."

Soun took in a deep breath, recalling things from the past. "Saotome and I met them while...training...with the Master. He tried to steal the women's underwear, only to have both Nodoka and Kimiko nearly killed the old pervert for his attempts. He couldn't even latch onto them."

Cologne laughed a little at that. "And of course, since they could defeat him, you instantly pledged your undying love to them."

Soul smiled a little. "Of course. I'm not really certain how Nodoka and Genma's relationship developed. But for me and Kimiko, we felt like soul mates, like each other was what had been missing from our lives. It was then I introduced her to my parents, she introduced me to hers, and soon we were married and living here, expecting Kasumi."

He looked again out to his old friend. "I...I often wonder if the mistakes we have made would still have occurred...had they both been with us." Shaking his head, he forced himself out of dreaming of what-ifs. "Nevertheless, I can only work to make her proud of me in the next world, if she ever forgive me for being weak."

He cast his eyes towards the heavens. "I swear, Kimiko, I will make you proud of me, I will save their lives, even if in the end I must offer my own in his place."

Cologne looked at him, a small amount of pride in her eyes. _Yes, Soun, I am quite certain she will be proud of the man you are becoming now._

The two sat for a while as the wounded panda began to stir. "Well," Cologne said, "at least we will have some entertainment to help us think."

* * *

Three sets of eyes snapped open, relieving the trio of the pleasant dream that had quickly spun into a nightmare of claws and biting.

They awoke to find that while the cats were gone, they were not completely as they were. They had gone to bed somewhat separated, but found themselves huddled together, Ranma's arms wrapped around them and pulling them closer, their heads resting on his shoulders, his hands rubbing the smalls of their backs, to further coax them into relaxing.

"Is it always that bad?" Nabiki tried to pull herself closer Ranma, tried to scare away the fear that had attacked her soul.

"Yeah, the cats never stop biting, never stop clawing... They just never stop." His voice was grim, nearly devoid of emotion. But it was strong enough to convey its meaning.

The girls had just had a full experience of his nightmare of nightmares: the Nekoken.

_It isn't always that bad._ By now, he realized he could just think things out. He wouldn't be able to tell thoughts apart, or from what part of the others they came from, but it helped them sort things out quicker.

_I never knew._

_Uncle Saotome is a monster!_

_I have shared a curse never meant to be shared!_

_I'm sorry I ever teased you about it!_

_Why won't they stop coming?_

_What do they want?_

_Why are the cats never satisfied?_

"I think we should just talk about this one, Saotome." Nabiki raised her head, shaking it slightly. "This...thing is too warped for us to dwell on it."

The two girls could feel a great amount of depression coming through the link, to look at Ranma and see him mumbling. They could both make out "I'm sorry" being repeated over and over again.

Kasumi smiled a little, before bending closer to his ear, and talking at a normal voice. "Ranma, I'm pregnant with Kuno's baby."

Ranma nearly knocked them both from the bed with the suddenness in which he sat up. "WHAT!" His scream was silenced somewhat by Nabiki and Kasumi's hands coming up and covering his mouth.

"Forgive me, Ranma, but I needed you to snap out of it. This isn't your fault."

Ranma stared at Kasumi. He waited until they lowered their hands from his mouth before speaking. "And how is it not my fault that the link gave you the Nekoken?"

Nabiki spoke first. "Well, the main reason is that you didn't teach it, that fat panda did."

Ranma flung himself back onto the bed. "You just don't get it. I tried. I tried to keep that thing from crawling out of my soul, from keeping that one sin from ever seeing the light of day.

"And now, you have it too, don't you. You can feel it lurking inside you, waiting for those furry little bastards to come."

Nabiki and Kasumi looked at each other, before returning to the crooks of Ranma's arms, laying their hands back on his chest, his returning to their backs.

Kasumi was the first to speak again, tired of the long silence that had crept into their conversation, as well as their thoughts. "Ranma, I...I want you to start training me. I want to learn Anything Goes from you."

Ranma opened his mouth to protest, his usual mantra at the ready, but felt Nabiki's hand clamp his lips shut.

"Ranma, listen to Kasumi. You know as well as we do now how many times people go through others to get to you. How long do you think it'll be before they try that on us? Hell, the Kunos haven't a clue not to attack you or they could kill all three of us. Hell, do you really think Kodachi would walk away if she saw us like this?"

Kasumi smiled as Nabiki removed her hand. "Ranma, you've always wanted to teach the Art to others, teach them to love it almost as much as you do. Eventually, you'll have to teach girls. And don't give me that 'girls are weak' stuff, mister, or I'll be very...angry."

He immediately paled. He didn't know how bad an angry Kasumi was, but he had once asked Mr. Tendo about that.

All he got was a pale face, muttering, "Sometimes, she's worse than her mother."

"Besides," Nabiki chimed in, "if you don't learn to teach women, then you'll ruin the future I have planned."

"Huh?" was the response from the other two bedmates.

"Well, first we buy the house next door and convert it into a dual office space. There we set up my accounting office and Kasumi's clinic. That way, we have a one stop shop. I charge them for what Ranma teaches them, while Kasumi fixes them after he pulls a Genma."

"Heh! I ain't that bad!"

The soft giggles of the girls next to him were all he needed to know that the last part just might have been a joke.

Sighing, he nuzzled back into the mattress, trying to get to sleep, the tension of the nightmare forgotten for now, but no further to being resolved. His last thoughts summed it up best for him.

_Sleep. It seems like that is all I can do for them...for now._

* * *

"Shampoo, honey, can we talk for a bit?"

Shampoo looked up at Ukyo from the back porch. She had been resting there, thinking of how things were now with her Airen. "Shampoo talk. What Spatula Girl want?"

Ukyo suppressed a twitch from being called that. "Not here, sugar. Let's go where the others won't hear us."

Shampoo nodded. She already had spent the last few hours trying to figure out how she and her beloved could still be together after what had happened. While she didn't mind Kasumi; as the girl was always nice and helped her whenever possible, she was confused as to how Nabiki would play in things. _Sneaky girl likely sell Amazon Village to Musk._

So the two walked until they came to an empty lot away from the Tendo Dojo, a place where many of the local kids used to come to fight...before the NWC arrived and showed them how things could really go down. "Shampoo follow Spatula Girl, so what you want?"

"First off, sugar. Could you please stop calling me that? And please, just call me Ukyo."

Shampoo just smiled. "So you no want Shampoo to call you Spatula Girl...?"

"No."

"Or Cross dresser...?"

"No."

"Or confused butch lesbian...?"

"No." At the moment, Ukyo's patience with the girl was reaching thin.

After ten more nicknames—eight of which Ukyo had never heard she had been called—she told Shampoo to stop.

"Listen, sugar. All I wanted to ask you was a little about this 'Soul Bonding' thing Ranchan used?

Shampoo's eyes narrowed. "You wish to know so you use to make Airen be with you, love you all time, yes?"

Ukyo blushed at having been caught, but quickly turned away. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

Shampoo stepped closer. "You no think Shampoo think that?" Shampoo turned to the opposite side. "You no think Shampoo not want to do technique and join Airen now, be forever one with him?" A lone tear began to fall down her face, bringing Ukyo back to facing her. "Technique no work unless one person is near death. If not, is very bad. Maybe kill both. Shampoo no want that, and she know Airen no like her if she purposely injure self so Airen must do."

Ukyo looked at her, before staring at the ground. "I...I can't lose him, sugar. He...he's all I have?"

Shampoo snapped forward, nearly growling at Ukyo. "You have weird ninja boy, he love you more than you love Airen. But you also have same problem Shampoo do: obsessed stupid boy who no know that no means no." Shampoo lowered her snarl losing herself in reflection again. "We each love Airen, each have too too stupid boys chase us. And stupid demon make certain we never be with him. Shampoo can no go back to village now, cause if others find out why she no come back with Airen, she be thrown out. If Ukyo no get Airen, she no have family. Is too too stupid situation."

Ukyo sighed. "Well, we need to do something, sugar. You just know the old farts will be trying to get Ranchan married to one of those girls."

Shampoo exhaled again. All they were now doing was talking about what she had been thinking about since her great-grandmother had explained the Soul Bonding to her. "Shampoo know. She know that girls no can help it. In way, is glad it no Kitchen Destroyer. At least now, Airen will live past honeymoon."

Ukyo began to giggle. "I can just imagine if it had been her. As confused as Ranchan is about whose thoughts he's feeling, imagine him looking at himself in the mirror in the furo. I don't know if he could mallet himself or not."

Shampoo began to giggle as well. "Plus, what happens when Airen try to cook and he no like?"

That threw the both of them into fits of laughter.

But the eventually calmed down. "Sugar, you and I both know that whoever attacked Ranma-honey before will do so again. If we get injured fighting it...do you think he'd bond with us?"

Shampoo didn't look up. "Shampoo no know. Airen know technique, but he may no use if it maybe kill other girls. Shampoo no want to force him to use. Is very bad if he know Shampoo allow self to be hurt so he bond with her."

Ukyo nodded her head. She didn't want Ranchan to have that weighing him down. He shouldn't ever hate his cute fiancée for pulling something like that. But then an idea hit her. "Um, Shampoo, does your tribe recognize multiple marriages?"

Shampoo looked at Ukyo with confusion. "Um, yes. After Shampoo and Airen have honeymoon, then Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung may ask to be wives as well, since Airen beat them."

Ukyo's smile grew, choosing to ignore the comment about the tiny terrors. "And does your marriage need to be recognized by Japanese Law?"

Shampoo was still confused, but willing to play along. "No, only Amazon Law matter. Why Ukyo want to know?"

Ukyo by now had a full blown smile on her face. "Well, sugar, we need a reason for Ranma's mom to not kill him with his curse. So...if he has fulfilled one obligation by joining the schools, since Nabiki and Kasumi can't leave him, then that just leaves our agreements. And since Ranchan's mom seems to want her son to have many mistresses..." She left the end hanging.

But it was an end that Shampoo understood. "AIYAH! Then we get mother's permission, and Airen be with us. He no can go back to village, and if Great-Grandmother help keep Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung from coming to join as well, then we all get Airen!"

Ukyo sighed. "It won't be perfect, but it'll keep him alive. And who knows, maybe it'll work out for the best. Besides, you think the Dynamic Dunderheads could offer a better solution? I mean, with all of us wanting to be with him, ain't no way Auntie can see Ranma as unmanly, even with his curse."

The two nodded their heads in agreement. Not to say that they didn't have one or two thoughts of how to eliminate the other from it, but they needed to first keep Ranma alive, and then weed out the other.

_Ranchan/Airen, we will save you!_

* * *

"Neko...arise! I summon you!"

Before the figure, who stayed hidden in shadows created by the small fire in front of him, a cat-man figure appeared on the other side of the fire. To any who didn't know, it would have looked like Ranma...if he had fallen into both the Springs of Drowned Man and Drowned Cat.

It was the representation of the Nekoken that was inside Ranma, a representation of the demon. "You have summoned me, my Lord?"

The figure stayed in shadow. "The Okari have made a move against my anchor. How does his soul fair?"

The cat-man smiled, baring his fangs. "It goes better than expected, my Lord. Not only has the bonding strengthened your anchor to the point where only death could release you, but it has allowed for a...unexpected benefit." He snapped his fingers, and two cat-girls appeared on either side of him, resembling Nabiki and Kasumi. "It has allowed for the birth of these two, who have sworn their allegiance to you for the same price as I have."

The two cat-girls nodded in agreement, baring their fangs as well. "What is your will, my Lord?" asked Neko-Nabiki.

"Yes, instruct us as to how to serve you," stated Neko-Kasumi.

The shadowy figure laughed. "Continue as I have instructed Neko-Ranma. But, we need to keep things...lively. Have the two females expressed any desire to become stronger?"

Neko-Nabiki nodded. "Yes, my Lord. They have already discussed being trained by Ranma, so as to be better able to stand against the enemies that seek him."

"Good," the figure hissed. "They will help rejuvenate me quicker than I had planned for. I must move my time table forward."

"What of the Okaris, my Lord?" asked Neko-Kasumi. "They will seek out answers now, and will suspect the involvement of us, if not, others."

The figure contemplated this for a moment. "Nothing they can do now will stop my rise and rebirth. We shall continue to thwart their efforts to reach Ranma, at the very least, delay their Ascension until it best suits our needs. I believe they have three months before this window passes. I look forward to making them wait those months. Continue to cloud your charges' minds about the truth of the Nekoken; continue to play havoc with their lives." A sadistic smile could be seen on his nondescript face. "In fact, give the Amazon and the chef a reason to hurry any plans they have to...keep their love entwined to them."

The three neko-demons purred their acceptance of the orders, before disappearing into the ether and returning to the souls of their hosts.

The figure stepped closer to the fire, revealing himself. "Oh yes, the Okari clan will pay for all they have done. With the way things stand now, I can even take their precious Ascension from them, as well as little Kito." An evil smile crept across his face. "And I see no reason for those demons not to have their prize."

The fire was quickly snuffed out by the ill wind that blew as the figure left.

He had, after all, many silkie darlings to liberate that night.

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	7. Waking Dreams

**Chapter 7**

**Waking Dreams**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Soun and Cologne just stared; open mouthed, at the proposal laid out before them by Ukyo and Shampoo.

"So, what you think?" asked the bubbly Amazon.

Soun found himself collapsing to sit on the back porch, his endurance gone. "So, you plan for us to tell Nodoka that Ukyo will be Ranma's wife, and he has taken my two daughters and Shampoo as mistresses?"

"Yep," nodded Ukyo. "That way, she'll be too impressed that he was...manly...enough to get all four of us, even with his curse. She'll have no choice but to declare Ranma has fulfilled the contract."

Cologne went back to taking a long drag off her pipe. "And what if she requires some sort of proof? You do realize that Ranma would have to...perform...such duties with Nabiki and Kasumi not only present, but feeling the results just the same."

"Hey! Shampoo only help come up with plan, she no know every detail. We make idea, you help make work!"

Ukyo sighed. "Well, what do **you** suggest then? You know she'll be here either today or tomorrow."

Soun merely shook his head. "It'll be up to them. I won't force it on Ranma and my daughters...never again."

Cologne took a moment's thought. "And do you two honestly believe you can get past any jealousy you have? Can you accept that Ranma will always have a deeper connection to Nabiki and Kasumi than either of you...barring an unforeseen need for a soul bond?"

The two lowered their heads. "Listen, the important thing is to keep them alive. We all know Auntie can be a little over the top. But she isn't observant enough to see if we have some problems. All she seems to care about is if her son is going to give her lots of grandchildren. So what do you two suggest, since the jackass by the wall can't toss his signs this far to offer a brain dead suggestion?"

The group had ignored the panda trying to yank its chains from the wall for freedom, as well as trying to toss his signs at the group. But with the moxibustion burn, he didn't have the strength to get them very far.

Soun sighed in resignation. "I fear it is the best we have to offer." He turned to Cologne, his eyes almost pleading for another solution. "Elder?"

Cologne had none. "It will need to be discussed with them. Nabiki may have come up with an idea on her own." She turned to the girls. "Be careful, children. The bond will make them extremely protective of each other. Even if they agree, they will need to work that issue out before the Saotome Matriarch arrives." She put her pipe away. "We'll wait for a while longer. They need as much sleep as possible to restore and separate the souls.

"Come; let us go prepare a meal. Mousse will be waking up soon, and Ryoga needs to be fed as well, in case we need to...restrain...Nodoka, for Ranma's protection."

As she hopped inside, Cologne had to smile. If it worked, she could still see a future here with them all. True, she had originally wanted Ranma solely for the Amazons. But you made due with what you had.

And right now, she didn't have much.

* * *

Chairwoman Mao watched as the computer monitor displayed the search. She had spent seven hours straight adding spells to it, as well as with the efforts of several other summoners, trying to ensure that this time, they got the correct information.

She had little idea about who was displacing their quest. Other summoners would not dare interfere with Ascension. To do so was as taboo as pissing publicly on an honest and descent priest.

But someone; knowingly or unknowingly, was interfering. Messages to Ranma, visitors to see him—be they magically or mortal—were bounced around worse than the curse Kito had placed on the Hibiki clan could ever do.

Two years ago, she had herself been made to perform a summons to get her own great-nephew back from a Hell plane.

It wasn't all bad. Jinko had been enjoying his time there, making a powerful demon lord dance in a pink tutu singing "I am a pretty girl" over and over.

She had to love how much stronger their powers were on the other sides. It allowed for great amusement and protection.

But still, whoever was blocking them had immense power. The Okari clan and their allies had been trying for years to contact Ranma. But even indirect contact seemed to send the message bouncing somewhere.

Shaking her head, she removed her reading glasses and cleaned them, a nervous habit from when she was younger. "This is a young person's game."

The computer beeped, indicating a match. "Got to love bureaucracy; otherwise they never would have got all their files online for us to...inspect."

She looked over the file, a birth certificate for one Ranma Saotome. "Hmm, mother is listed as Nodoka Saotome. Let's see what she was beforehand. Maybe her family line had a curse on it. It'd be our luck that we're the cause of our own trouble."

It had been known to happen before. Two hundred years ago, a man had married into the Okari clan, only to have no children for ten years. It had turned out that four hundred years back, his ancestor had tried to rob an Okari, and been cursed to never know happiness. If he did, then the line would die out.

Shaking her head, the computer had finished locating the marriage certificate for Nodoka and Genma Saotome. "Original name was Nodoka A... Shit."

Just as there were certain demon summoner clans you just didn't go and piss off, there were also certain demon hunter clans for which the same applied.

And she may have just pissed off the highest in the land.

She got up, heading for her small bar. "I really need to go on vacation after this."

* * *

"HOW THE HELL DID THIS LITTLE MISTAKE HAPPEN?"

Kenosuke was breathing heavily. "I mean, I was hoping that Genma was the one who married into the Saotome clan, but his WIFE DID!"

Mao nodded. "Yes. Though how the hell their Elders ever approved of him is beyond my insight. But there it was on the original certificate I had an imp fetch. They did, she did, and now we did."

Kenosuke fell into his chair, turned slightly away from the video screen. They had just entered what most strategists referred to as Mutually Assured Destruction. Both were the most powerful of their respective types. "What do we do now?"

Mao simply stared into her screen. "I have sent a messenger to them for an immediate meeting. With any luck, the horrors Genma has unleashed will keep them from declaring war for our actions. We have proof that our peaceful efforts at contact had been rebuffed by an unknown force, as well as the contents of the Soul Reflection Sphere your daughter acquired as proof of the horrors that Genma has put his son through. With any luck, they will see this as proof we have been set up as well."

"If not, I will accept responsibility for the clan."

"As nice as it is to see you willing to be the martyr, Kenosuke, but we have other things to deal with. Whoever is doing this is well ahead of us."

He could only nod. This event was spiraling out of control.

And he had yet to tell Kito.

* * *

A touch...

A smell...

A stray thought...

Flashes of a body entwined with others...

Flashes of a man, kissing one girl, as another waited her turn at his lips...

Flashes of the three in the embrace of lovers, screaming out joy and pleasure...

The three neko demons smiled on as their actions were being replayed in the dreams of their hosts.

Neko-Kasumi purred from the side of her mate. "Mmm, I wonder how she'll enjoy that in the real world."

Neko-Ranma just nodded, as he cuddled the nude demons beside himself. "We'll find out in a few months. After all, the Master will keep his bond. On our own, we could never stand against him. But when we act through them..."

Neko-Nabiki purred. "You killed a bird god." She watched as the figures in the dreamscape shifted again, positions changing, actions resuming. "I bet they won't be able to look at each other the same way again after they wake up."

Neko-Ranma nodded. "Oh yes. And you can bet that if the chef or the Amazon get a whiff, they'll be going full out to...integrate themselves into this little family."

Neko-Kasumi smiled. "Who knows, if we can get him up to performing another Soul Bond..."

Neko-Ranma nodded, before the three got back to making more scenes for the dream. As a male Neko, he was always in the mood for more mates.

* * *

The group slowly returned to the waking world.

For Nabiki, the first thing she noticed was that her nightshirt was gone, she was molded to the side of Ranma, and that as she pulled her head back, she spotted a new hickey on Ranma's throat.

For Kasumi, she found herself in a similar position, except her hand was absently rubbing his upper chest, a small line of scratches indicating that her nails had done more than rub.

For Ranma, he noticed his heart racing, his blood pounding so hard, he could hear it in his ears. The link; which had been becoming dimmer for the last few days, was flowing strong, causing a feedback between the lust the dream had created, and easily running over the fear and self-doubt.

Each of them felt the need, the desire, to continue on as the dream had demanded.

Ranma continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to distract himself from the urges he had long since controlled, before he looked at either girl, and gave into the primal desires.

But as he felt hot lips upon his own, a hand seizing his cheek, and a tongue demanding entrance into his mouth, he found those urges surging past his distractions.

"KASUMI!"

The eldest Tendo snapped out of it, pulling her mouth from Ranma's.

Nabiki tried to focus, using her Ice Queen mask to brush past the desires the dream had forced upon her. "We are **not** going to do this now, do you hear me?"

Kasumi lay back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to keep her internal monologue from circulating among the others. _That...that...that was...desirable. I wanted to continue, I wanted to give in to the need._

Sadness, quiet self-pity: these are the thoughts that flooded her mind, nearly bowling over the blocks she had been able to erect on the link.

The loss of a mother, the essentially loss of a father, and the eldest child had been forced to become a parent. She had forsaken her childhood, her dreams, her needs, so that her family might survive, so they would be safe.

She gave up the urges all teenagers go through, trying to be a shining example.

In the end, she had been repressed far more than Ranma in such areas.

And now, they demanded to be heard.

"I...I want to keep going."

The two turned towards Kasumi, listening as she began to whisper. "I want to keep going, I don't want to stop." She turned towards them. "Is that wrong of me?"

Tears began streaming down her face, the sadness and self doubt flooding the link, but still identifiable enough for Ranma and Nabiki to not act as if it was their own pain.

As Ranma embraced her in a tight hug, allowing the woman to cry on his chest as he tried to sooth her, Nabiki found herself admitting something she had been afraid of.

The link was drawing them closer together, dragging out sides they had buried, pieces they had long since abandoned. Needs, desires, dreams; all were returning, fueled by the link, strengthened by the thoughts of the others.

So she laid her head down as well, wrapping her arm around Kasumi, and was left wondering how long before she would try what Kasumi did.

But what more: how long before they didn't try to stop it.

* * *

Nodoka smiled as she packed her travel back, her silk bundle strapped to her back.

"Maybe my manly son will be there today?"

For too long, all she had seen after her long wait for her son and husband to return was their echoes, stories relayed by the Tendos.

A pang of regret hit Nodoka. She could have been there more often for the Tendo sisters. They could have used her help, and she could have easily provided it.

But old wounds...

She shook her head. She could be there for them now? Surely if she stayed there long enough, her son would return. After all, the house was filled with such lovely women.

Kasumi...Nabiki...Akane...and even Ranko, each would make an excellent wife for her son, and the rest would surely be satisfied as mistresses.

True, each had their problems.

Ranko and Akane were too much into being tomboys; Ranko more so.

Nabiki had her obsession with money.

Kasumi was too lenient, and not strong willed enough against her Father to make him behave.

Mr. Panda seriously needed to be dealt with. The pet was too wild, and would most certainly need either to be fixed or handed off to a breeding program. The animal was just too wild, and would most likely be a danger to any children her manly son would have.

Smiling once again on the thought of so many grandchildren, she departed from her home, heading towards the train station.

Not more than five minutes after she had left, a large red bird flew into her yard, chirping. It hopped through an open window on the second floor, trying to find someone.

But after a few minutes, it gave up, jumping once again out the window, and took off into the air, its message remaining undelivered.


	8. Acceptance of State

**Chapter 8**

**Acceptance of State**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

The day began its slow progression.

Currently, Soun, Cologne, Shampoo, and Ukyo were inside the dojo, trying to iron out any wrinkles in the plan of the two girls, before offering it to the joined trio. After all, thanks to Nabiki's intellect inside their souls, they would want a detailed proposition.

Mousse and Ryoga were asleep in the guest room, trying to gain some energy. After all, the dojo was now covered with so many detection sutras, not even a bad feeling could get in without anyone knowing. So, the duo thought it best to rest up and be ready for guard duty that night.

Genma was still a panda, still chained to the wall, and still holding up signs about how this was all his dishonorable son's fault.

Akane had left earlier to head off to Yuka's house, needing some time away to consider things. After all, she couldn't take this out on Ranma, and she didn't trust herself not to at this point.

And finally, the trio was in the kitchen, trying to prepare lunch for both themselves and their assorted guests.

It was truly a weird sight to behold. While all three were performing certain tasks for the meal, signs of their sync could still be seen. Whether it was an ingredient finished and handed at the right time, or something as minor as an itch of one translating to all three scratching that place on their own bodies, the sync was still present.

Of course, their actions were for another purpose as well: to keep their libidos from striking again.

What had occurred in the bedroom had just been the beginning. After Kasumi had stopped crying and the link no longer being flooded by grief and sadness, the instincts returned once again unbidden. Before they knew it, touches were flourishing, as hands explored in areas only seen to them in the dreams.

When they were able to get control over themselves, they washed quickly, and headed downstairs, hoping that some mindless tasks would help quell the thoughts trying to send them over.

Nabiki smirked as she tasted the soup she was preparing, wondering if it would even be half as good as it was without Kasumi's skills in her head. "Needs more salt."

Kasumi stopped humming as she was cutting some meat. "Just a pinch, not too much."

Ranma nodded, the taste passing through the link quickly. "Not bad for your first try in a while, Nabiki."

She nodded, adding a pinch of salt, and continuing to stir, as Kasumi turned around and added the meat, as Ranma worked on the fruits and salads for the meal.

Ranma took a breath, feeling the tension slowly leaving them. "This is much better."

The girls nodded in agreement, both helping each other and Ranma keep away from any mischievous thoughts that might ruin their work to this point.

But, soon the work grew to only watching the meal to make certain nothing burnt. Dishes were set out; partial plates were put away for those who were sleeping.

This left them...alone...with only their thoughts.

"I don't think this is going to work long," said Nabiki, "unless we constantly cook all the time."

Kasumi nodded, feeling her body flush slightly as an image flew through one of their minds, too quickly for any of them to tell where it had come from, but the link too new to tell if they themselves had made it. "And we're still too weak to practice anything physical to burn off this energy."

Ranma nodded, throwing himself into the Soul of Ice, hoping to reinforce their resistance to allowing the full force of the bond to make them couple. "We'll only be able to hold out for so long at this point."

The females nodded. "Maybe," whispered Kasumi, almost as if she was afraid her very voice would make it true, "maybe we should let it happen, but on our own terms." Seeing the shocked look of her soul-bonded-mates, she continued. "We can't hold it forever, but we can control when it does happen. After all, it's not like Elder Cologne said it would ever end."

The others stared, before dropping their gazes, slowly nodding. The feelings were a torrent of emotion, a tsunami that none could hope to stand against. Each person there had been ignoring such sensations and needs for too long before they were bonded, and now it seemed to cry out for absolution.

"After lunch then," said Ranma, nodding towards the soup. "The meal's about done, and we can ask some questions from Cologne. We might not even be well enough to do it."

What remained unsaid was that what such acts would not only do to the link, but the people connected to it, was the fear at the forefront of their minds.

* * *

Chairwoman Mao and Kenosuke Okari sat in their chairs, at the small table before the council from the clan of the mother of Ranma Saotome.

Such meetings between demonic summoners and demon hunters were not uncommon. Despite what one is commonly led to believe by current dogmas, like humans, not all demons were evil. Most when they came to our plane of existence were either bound to the will of their summoner, or the type not to care what they did anyway, finding it too compelling to not act all powerful to those weaker than you. For some, human life force became the only source of sustenance that they could live off, and how long could you wait for a way home before hunger overcame rationality.

Many clans, like the Okari, would assist demon hunters in their trade, summoning low-level demons who knew things, weaknesses, strengths, attacks, and such, to better fight the darkness.

Techniques and weapons came to be developed, as the hunters studied what was summoned, seeking out paths of energy that could be exploited in a battle. Some demons were just older forms and more evolved forms of others, and any advantage in battle was well liked.

And finally, some metals and elements needed for tools used by the hunters could only be acquired with demonic help.

In short, it was very beneficial to both sides. If a summoner went rouge, the hunters would remove them, while still receiving support from the loyal and friendly summoners.

So, meetings between the two were not unusual, relations were never allowed to grow cold.

Meetings such as this, however, were very odd.

Chairwoman Nagomi of the hunter clan nodded. "We have sifted through the evidence provided."

The summoners nodded, Kenosuke already having thrown himself onto the sword when he arrived, stating that if they found them wanting, he and he alone would take the blame and any punishment they saw fit.

Nagomi continued. "We see reason to also come to your conclusion: that someone is trying to pit us against each other for reason or reasons unknown.

"Furthermore, we conclude that the Nekoken may in fact be in league with whoever is responsible."

"We came to such a conclusion as well," said Mao. "By our knowledge, the entity that is the Nekoken should have either rendered the boy's soul hollow or taken over by now through madness or intelligent control. The fact it has not yet down so after all this time does not bode well for us. Few can control a Nekoken demon inside its host, even fewer can keep it from completing its purpose for this long."

The hunter council nodded. "We agree. However, final words have yet to be heard from the boy's mother. Currently, we believe she has yet to inform him of her side of the family art."

"Feh," said Chairwoman Hami with sarcasm and disgust. "Nodoka didn't even bother to learn our art. She just carried around that sword of hers like she knows what to do. She gave up her training in the family style not only to marry that oaf, but because she saw herself as an Edo-period woman instead of what our clan preaches. We have received proof about her only...training...with the sword she carries. I told this council many times before that Ranma should have been contacted directly."

"That may be," said Nagomi, "but it was the decision of this council to wait until Nodoka posed a threat to this boy. Such a time has come, and we already have several agents in and around the Tendo Dojo to restrain her should it be necessary.

"And do remember, Hami, it was you who agreed to let her marry that asshole, Genma."

The red-haired woman snorted. "She was too headstrong, and I preferred to still have her attached to this clan."

Chairwoman Umeka snorted. "And exactly where did she get those manly ideas from, if not her own family?"

"Enough," said Nagomi. "Matters here are too important to degrade into bickering of how Hami handled her daughter. Let us not forget none of us are without our problems with our daughters, or have you forgotten the reports I receive about my youngest's actions with her landlord."

The remaining women on the council nodded.

Seeing order had been restored, Nagomi turned towards the summoners. "You will have our support on this matter. I shall send Hami with you back to Nerima, and we shall prepare a party as well to send in a day. If this is a powerful force at work; whether singular or plural, we shall stand and fight it."

"And as for my daughter?" asked Kenosuke. "She cannot afford to miss the next Ascension."

Nagomi nodded. "As to matters of the heart, we normally let things progress naturally, despite my oldest daughter's need to meddle.

"But for the way things stand now, we will need to strengthen Ranma's soul and that of the Tendo sisters to withstand what he will be asked to do.

"But in the end, the choice to participate is still his."

Kenosuke nodded. At least...there was a chance.

And with the help of the Aoyama clan backing them and helping, Kito might just have her chance at everything she wanted.

In the end, that was the only real dream any Father would support.

* * *

After lunch, and after Cologne had explained the effects that could and would occur should they be intimate during any stage of the link, the three had moved to the living room.

Of course, it was not before the group had learned of Shampoo and Ukyo's plan.

Now, they sat to discuss it. That is not to say that nerves were being frayed, as they tried to put things into context, tried to keep the goal of survival of each of them at front.

And tried not to consider how badly this would affect Akane when she learned of it.

"So," said Ranma, not feeling anything concrete through the link to lend him any idea what the girls thought, "any thoughts?"

Nabiki stared at the blank wall, trying to come to terms with the plan, but also the reason for such an idea.

She knew as well as the others how "manly"-obsessed Ranma's mother was, and she had no doubt the woman would be thrilled with Nabiki and Kasumi both needing Ranma now, and the likelihood that by tonight, such an arrangement would be consummated—despite the angry glares of Shampoo and Ukyo.

Of course, the woman was also known to be overly dramatic on little things like her own warped sense of honor that belonged more in the feudal period than that of the current period.

In that respect, the idea made perfect sense. With four women both wanting Ranma; even if two of them were bonded against their own free will, and in the likelihood that even the initial try should have killed Ranma, the woman would be hard pressed to find Ranma unmanly, even given the fact that his death would be the death of Nabiki and Kasumi.

She had no doubt the woman would at least view their lives as meaningless should she view that Ranma was dishonorable in some way.

Though, Nabiki's mind was already cataloguing what behavior of the woman herself could be termed dishonorable. After all, if she was stupid to trust Genma to raise Ranma, then she was stupid enough to leave her own sins in the open as well.

But something she was expecting to be there, something she was expecting to be slowly consuming her mind was missing: jealousy.

There was not one shred of it. She knew that she should immediately be swamped with that emotion when the other two fiancées tried to sneak into Ranma's life with them. She could assume no such emotion would be present with Kasumi in that regard of Nabiki herself sharing Ranma with her sister, do to the fact that the link would remove such things.

But Ukyo and Shampoo were not linked to them.

So why...was there no jealousy?

That alone made her suspicious. While Ranma might not seem eager, considering his background, she knew she and Kasumi could feel...something...making him want to agree.

The Nekoken? Was it affecting their personalities? She knew male cats tended to seek out multiple and available mates; most likely a fact her younger sister had assumed when assuming Ranma was always cheating on her. And she knew female cats in heat really didn't care as long as the biological needs were met.

So, was the Nekoken cutting off her possible jealousy all together?

_The main question however is: how far would you go to keep Ranma alive?_

Could she go that far to save Ranma's life; a life she cared for more than her own after witnessing and literally reliving most of it in her mind?

Yes, she decided. If nothing else, it would be her own redemption. Ranma deserved to live, more so than herself, in her revised opinion.

Besides, should jealousy rear its green-eyed head after consummation tonight, she could always widdle the other two away.

Unknown to her, with her own thoughts inside the link, and each of the others also having relived her own life, the same thoughts were going through them.

So, when they looked towards each other, the same conclusions came up.

For now, it would do.

They just prayed that Mother Saotome would be satisfied with word for the moment, and not expect deed.

* * *

Nagomi sighed as the messenger bird returned, chirping in a tone that indicated the message had not been received, and the target not at home.

Sighing, she removed the message and began to change it. She knew Nodoka would soon be heading for the Tendo Dojo, and she would come across the group.

Should the woman decide to go through her plans, she would wait until sundown tomorrow for such an act as seppuku, giving the condemned boy one more day on Earth.

Luckily, by then, the Aoyama contingent would have set up shop in the homes of one of their local members of the Shinmeiryuu. As such, a quick call from any observers near the dojo would let the group know if Nodoka was acting stupidly, and ensure she did not harm Ranma.

Right now, the boy was a focal point in this whole debacle. His death would gain nothing, and Nodoka's warped sense of honor could not be allowed to cause the death of an innocent. She would be made to see reason, and made to step aside.

Matters were beyond the worrying of the felt insult to a single woman.

Whoever was playing them all was crafty, and knew how to bide their time. It was doubtful they would allow Ranma's death either, but they couldn't take the chance that Ranma was not an intricate part of their plan, and would thus also work to preserve it.

"This does not bode well for us all," she said, as she finished writing the letter.

Placing it in the tube near the bird, she began petting it. It was too late to send it out tonight. The elegant creature was not used to flying well with no moon out.

At first light, she would send it to the Tendo Dojo, and hopefully, to bring in the lost sheep of the Shinmeiryuu.

* * *

A knock on the door their only warning.

"Hello, is my son here?"


End file.
